# Golden Shiner (*notemigonus crysoleucas*) The Golden Shiner is a shiny little fish that loves to swim in schools! With its bright golden color, it sparkles like a treasure in the water! - **Category:** [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fish) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger - **Snaps:** 6 - **Habitat:** Freshwater lakes and rivers across North America. - **Also known as:** Common Shiner, Golden Minnow, Shiner ![Golden Shiner](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Notemigonus_crysoleucas-1.jpg&width=800) Photo: Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Notemigonus_crysoleucas-1.jpg) ## Appearance The Golden Shiner has a sleek, compressed body with a small, pointed head. Its sides shimmer with a bright golden-silvery sheen, sometimes showing a faint darker stripe along its length. Large, reflective scales give it a metallic appearance. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Actinopterygii - **Order:** Cypriniformes - **Family:** Cyprinidae - **Genus:** Notemigonus ## Interesting facts - Golden Shiners are farmed as popular bait, helping anglers catch bigger fish! - Golden Shiners can survive in water with low oxygen, thriving where other fish cannot! - Their shiny, reflective scales act like tiny mirrors, making them hard for predators to spot! - These fish form massive schools with thousands, moving like a shimmering liquid cloud! ## Special abilities - **Flashy Camouflage:** Golden Shiner has highly reflective, silvery scales that help them blend into bright surface waters, confusing predators. - **Schooling Safety:** Golden Shiner can gather in large groups because of their strong social instinct, which helps them confuse and deter predators. - **Jumping Acrobatics:** Golden Shiner can leap out of the water quickly that helps them escape from fast-moving aquatic predators. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 7.5-30 cm - **Weight:** 0.05-0.2 kg - **Lifespan:** 3-7 years - **Swim Speed:** 10 km/h - **Maximum Depth:** 5 m - **Water Type:** Freshwater ## Diet & Feeding These omnivores eat tiny bugs, algae, and bits of plants they find floating or on the bottom. - **Primary Foods:** zooplankton, insect larvae, algae, plant detritus, small crustaceans - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Largemouth Bass](https://www.snappit.app/explore/largemouth-bass) (*Micropterus salmoides*) — Major predator in many lakes. - **Eaten by:** Chain Pickerel (*Esox niger*) — Ambushes them from aquatic weeds. - **Eaten by:** [Great Blue Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-blue-heron) (*Ardea herodias*) — Wades in shallow water to snatch. - **Eats:** Water Flea (*Daphnia pulex*) — Feeds on tiny crustaceans. ## Traits - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. ## Collections - [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fish) ## Safety **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Golden Shiner? Look at body shape, where the fins sit and their outline, mouth position, stripes and spots. Young fish and breeding adults can wear different patterns, and aquarium color varieties can look nothing like wild fish. Fish Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Golden Shiner? 7.5-30 cm ### How much does Golden Shiner weigh? 0.05-0.2 kg ### How long does Golden Shiner live? 3-7 years ### What does Golden Shiner eat? These omnivores eat tiny bugs, algae, and bits of plants they find floating or on the bottom. ### How fast can Golden Shiner swim? 10 km/h ### Where is Golden Shiner usually found? Freshwater lakes and rivers across North America. ### How does Golden Shiner hunt? Foraging ## Where to spot - [Delaware and Raritan Canal](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/delaware-and-raritan-canal) — New Jersey, US · Historic Site - [Ascutney Mill Dam](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ascutney-mill-dam) — New Hampshire, US · Historic Site - [Cheyenne Botanic Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cheyenne-botanic-gardens) — Wyoming, US · Botanical Garden - [Locke](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/locke) — California, US · Historic District - [Pullman National Historical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/pullman-national-historical-park) — Illinois, US · National Park - [Sand Bar State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sand-bar-state-park) — Vermont, US · State Park [View all places to see Golden Shiner](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/golden-shiner) ## More Fish - [Rainbow Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rainbow-trout) (*Oncorhynchus mykiss*) - [Brown Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-trout) (*Salmo trutta*) - [Brook Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brook-trout) (*Salvelinus fontinalis*) - [Lake Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lake-trout) (*Salvelinus namaycush*) --- Source: [Golden Shiner: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/golden-shiner)