Bigmouth Buffalo
Ictiobus cyprinellus
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Fish
The bigmouth buffalo is a fish native to North America that is in decline. It is the largest North American species in the Catostomidae or "sucker" family, and is one of the longest-lived and latest-maturing freshwater fishes, capable of living 148 years and reproducing infrequently. Even at a century old they show no age-related declines, but instead improvements relative to younger individuals, making this species a biological marvel. It is commonly called the marblehead, redmouth buffalo, buffalofish, bernard buffalo, or roundhead. The bigmouth buffalo is not a carp, nor is any other fish in the sucker family. Although they share the same order, each belong to different suborders and are native to separate continents.
Classification
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Catostomidae
- Genus
- Ictiobus