Bear Lake sculpin

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Bear Lake sculpin
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Cottidae
Genus: Cottus
Species:
C. extensus
Binomial name
Cottus extensus

The Bear Lake sculpin (Cottus extensus) occasionally referred to incorrectly as a "bullhead", is a species of freshwater sculpin endemic to Bear Lake on the Utah-Idaho border. It is one of only four sculpins native to Utah, and the only extant lake-dwelling sculpin in Utah (see Utah Lake sculpin). Although the fish is only native to Bear Lake, it has been introduced and established in Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

The Bear Lake sculpin is a benthic fish and feeds on invertebrates. It is an important forage species for the native Bear Lake strain of Bonneville cutthroat trout and the nonnative Lake trout in Bear lake.

The species spawns between the months of April and May among rocks close to shore, and is listed as a Wildlife Species of Concern by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

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The Utah Lake sculpin is an extinct species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species was endemic to Utah Lake, located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. The last collected specimen was taken in 1928, and the species is believed to have disappeared during the 1930s, when a severe drought led to a rapid fall in water levels in the lake. A cold winter led to the lake freezing, resulting in the overcrowding of the remaining fish. This, along with decreased water quality from agricultural practices, has been identified as the likely cause of extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepwater sculpin</span> Species of fish

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<i>Cottus</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Cottus is a genus of the mainly freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. They are often referred to as the "freshwater sculpins", as they are the principal genus of sculpins to be found in fresh water. They are native to the Palearctic and Nearctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mottled sculpin</span> Species of fish

The mottled sculpin is a species of freshawater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species has a wide but scattered North American distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European bullhead</span> Species of fish

The European bullhead is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the family Cottidae, a type of sculpin. It is also known as the miller's thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bullhead, and cob.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded sculpin</span> Species of fish

The banded sculpin is a freshwater fish dwelling mostly in small to moderate sized streams in areas of swift current. Young and juvenile C. carolinae can mainly be found in pools, riffles, and other shallow habitats while adults tend to prefer deeper waters. C. carolinae primarily eats insects and insect larvae, but their large mouths enable them to eat prey nearly as large as themselves, including other sculpin. To prevent predation, including by other fish, the color and pattern of the sculpin tends to match its environment. Most Cottus carolinae are mottled brown with dark vertical banding and usually reach about three inches in length. They have a broad head which rather quickly narrows into a slim body, giving them the appearance of a tadpole reaching adulthood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern elliptio</span> Species of bivalve

The eastern elliptio is a freshwater mussel in the Unionidae family, native to Canada and the United States. It is a bivalve member of the Phylum Mollusca. Not only is it found in Canada and the United States, but it is frequently the most abundant species of mussel found in its home waterways. It is the most common mussel in the Delaware River and the most common mussel found in the state of New Hampshire and Vermont. It can be found in the substrate at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers. Size is variable, but can reach up to 13 cm in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastrange sculpin</span> Species of fish

The Coastrange sculpin is a freshwater sculpin of the genus Cottus. They are commonly found near the ocean in western North America, namely Canada and the United States. It is also known as the Aleutian sculpin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prickly sculpin</span> Species of fish

The prickly sculpin is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is native to the river drainages of the Pacific Slope of North America from Seward, Alaska south to the Ventura River of Southern California. It extends east of the Continental Divide in the Peace River of British Columbia. It has also been introduced to several reservoirs in Southern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitefish Lake (Montana)</span> Body of water

Whitefish Lake ; is a natural oligotrophic freshwater lake in Flathead County, Montana, United States.

References

  1. NatureServe (2013). "Cottus extensus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T5439A15364219. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T5439A15364219.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.