American Gizzard Shad
ExploreFish
American Gizzard Shad
dorosoma cepedianum
The American Gizzard Shad is a shiny fish that loves to swim in schools. It has a special gizzard that helps it eat tiny plants and animals in the water!
Habitat: Lakes, rivers, and reservoirs across North America
Appearance
The American Gizzard Shad has a distinctive deep, silvery body, often with a slightly darker blue-green back. Its most notable feature is a very long, whip-like ray extending from the dorsal fin. They also possess a small head and a blunt snout.
KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassActinopterygiiOrderClupeiformesFamilyClupeidaeGenusDorosoma
Category
FishRarity
Common
Danger
0/5 · No known danger
Snaps
3
Interesting facts
Their long dorsal fin ray can be longer than their whole head!
They are named for their gizzard-like stomach, just like a chicken!
They play a super important role, turning tiny particles into food for bigger fish!
Thousands of Gizzard Shad often swim together in huge, shimmering schools!
Special abilities
Ability
Rock-Grinding Gut
American Gizzard Shad has a muscular gizzard stomach, similar to birds, that helps them grind tough plant material.
Ability
Tiny Food Filter
American Gizzard Shad can filter-feed using special gill rakers, allowing them to eat microscopic plankton from water.
Ability
Pollution Tolerator
American Gizzard Shad can survive in murkier, less oxygenated, and even slightly polluted waters that many other fish avoid.
Measurements & details
- Length
- 20-40 cm
- Weight
- 0.2-1 kg
- Lifespan
- 5-10 years
- Swim Speed
- 20 km/h
- Maximum Depth
- 20 m
- Water Type
- Brackish
Diet & Feeding
They are filter-feeders, scooping up tiny plants and decaying bits from the water.
Age differences: Younger shad primarily eat zooplankton, while adults shift to consuming more phytoplankton and detritus.
Primary Foods
- phytoplankton
- zooplankton
- algae
- detritus
Foraging Method
- Filter Feeding
Ecological connections
Traits
Social
Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
Filter Feeder
Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water.
Carnivorous
This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
Aquatic
Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
Also known as
American ShadGizzard ShadShad
Collections
Safety
Danger
0/5 · No known danger
No special safety notes yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to identify American Gizzard Shad?
The easiest way to identify American Gizzard Shad is to use the Snappit nature identifier app.
How long is American Gizzard Shad?
20-40 cm
How much does American Gizzard Shad weigh?
0.2-1 kg
How long does American Gizzard Shad live?
5-10 years
What does American Gizzard Shad eat?
They are filter-feeders, scooping up tiny plants and decaying bits from the water.
How fast can American Gizzard Shad swim?
20 km/h
Where is American Gizzard Shad usually found?
Lakes, rivers, and reservoirs across North America
How does American Gizzard Shad hunt?
Filter Feeding
Snap Map
Zoom in to split clusters and explore where this object has been snapped.
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Recent Snaps
Jun 4, 2026
New Indianola Historic Districti
Photo attribution
(c) Steven Wang, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
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