Fathead minnow
The Fathead minnow is a small, olive-green fish known for its distinctive fatter head compared to other minnows. Typically growing to lengths of 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters), these fish inhabit various freshwater environments across the United States and southern Canada, from boggy lakes and streams in the north to sandy lakes in the south. They breathe by processing oxygen through gills, as they lack the organs necessary to extract oxygen from the air. As omnivores, Fathead minnows feed on a diet that includes algae, plankton, and other tiny organisms, while they themselves are preyed upon by a range of predators, including birds and larger fish.
Reproduction involves females laying around 400 eggs in safe locations like beneath logs or boards, which males then fertilize and protect until hatching occurs 4 to 13 days later, depending on water temperature. They can spawn multiple times during a season, and their lifespan varies, averaging 2 to 3 years in the wild but extending up to 4 years in captivity. Furthermore, Fathead minnows are commonly used as bait by fishermen, demonstrating their importance in both ecological and recreational contexts.
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Fathead minnow
Fathead minnows are small, olive-green fish often used by fishermen as bait to lure larger catches. As their name suggests, fathead minnows have fatter heads than most minnows.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Pimphales
Species: Promelas
Fathead minnows have olive-green scales. As their name suggests, they have fatter heads than other minnows. Fathead minnows grow to 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) long.
Like other minnows, fathead minnows process oxygen from the water through gills on the sides of their bodies. Fathead minnows take water into their mouths, use the oxygen from the water, and release the waste chemicals out of their gills. Fathead minnows process oxygen this way because they do not have the organs to process oxygen from the air.
Fathead minnows live in many parts of the United States and southern Canada. They are found east and west of the Rocky Mountains and near the Gulf States. In the northern parts of their range, they inhabit thick, boggy lakes, ponds, and streams. In the southern parts of their range, they are found in sandy lakes and streams.
Fathead minnows move through these waters using their many fins. They swish and turn their caudal, or tail, fins from side to side to propel them through the water, while their dorsal and anal, or back and belly, fins keep them balanced in the water.
As omnivorous, fathead minnows live on a diet of both meat and plants. This diet includes algae, plankton, and other tiny, microscopic organisms.
Fathead minnows are threatened by birds, reptiles, mammals, and larger fish. They are often used by fishermen as bait minnows for catching larger fish.
Spawning for fathead minnows begins when female fathead minnows lay their eggs. They usually deposit 400 eggs beneath logs, sunken boards, or other flat objects, natural and man-made, along the bottom of ponds or streams. Male fathead minnows fertilize these eggs and clean them with a thick, spongy pad that grows near their tail fins during the mating season. This process of releasing and fertilizing eggs is known as spawning. Females may spawn 16 to 26 times in a breeding season. The eggs hatch after 4 to 13 days depending on the temperature.
The life span of fathead minnows is 2 to 3 years in the wild but up to 4 years in captivity.
Bibliography
"Pimephales Promelas." Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, invasions.si.edu/nemesis/species‗summary/163517. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.
Sommer, Ashley. "Pimephales Promelas." Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pimephales‗promelas. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.