? Mississippi Paddlefish Conservation status: Vulnerable
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Acipenseriformes Family: Polyodontidae Genus: Polyodon Species: P. spathula
Binomial name
Polyodon spathula (Walbaum in Artedi, 1792)

The American Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), also called the Mississippi Paddlefish or Spoonbill, lives in slow-flowing waters of the Mississippi River drainage system. This large freshwater fish may grow to 220 cm (7 ft) and weigh up to 100 kg (220 lbs). The paddlefish takes its common and scientific names from its distinctive snout, which is greatly elongated and flattened into a paddle shape. The American Paddlefish is believed to use sensitive electroreceptors on its paddle to detect prey, as well as to navigate while migrating to specific spawning sites. The paddlefish feeds primarily on zooplankton which it filters from the water using enlarged gill rakers. Paddlefish image, probably a video capture, collected from http://www. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Families Acipenseridae (sturgeons) Polyodontidae (paddlefishes) Chondrosteidae extinct Errolichthyidae extinct Acipenseriformes is an order of primitive ray-finned fishes that includes the sturgeons and paddlefishes, as well as some extinct families. ... Species Polyodon spathula Psephurus gladius Paddlefishes (family Polyodontidae) are bizarre-looking primitive ray-finned fishes whose snouts are greatly elongated, about 1/2 the length of the rest of the body. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Johann Julius Walbaum (1724–1799), a native of Lübeck, was a physician, naturalist and taxonomist. ... Peter Artedi (February 22, 1705 – September 27, 1735) was a Swedish naturalist and is known as the father of Ichthyology. Artedi was born in the province of Angermannia. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This page is about the river in the United States; there is also a Canadian Mississippi River (Ontario). ... Photomontage of plankton organisms Plankton is the aggregate community of weakly swimming but mostly drifting small organisms that inhabit the water column of the ocean, seas, and bodies of freshwater. ...

Once common throughout the Midwest, overfishing has caused major population declines, as both the meat and roe of the paddlefish are desirable as food. River alteration is also a major factor in the decline of paddlefish populations, as dams and other manmade obstacles prevent the fish from reaching places they once occurred in. Until about 1900 the paddlefish was also found in the Great Lakes, as well as in river systems in adjacent U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Invasive species such as zebra mussels have reduced the number of zooplankton in the Great Lakes to such low levels that any paddlefish reintroduction program seems unlikely to succeed. The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... Salmon roe at the Shiogama seafood market in Japan Look up Roe on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Roe is the fully ripe egg masses of fish and certain marine invertebrates contain, such as sea urchins and shrimp. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... Binomial name Dreissena polymorpha Pallas, 1771 The Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a mussel originally of southeast Russia. ...

The American Paddlefish is a popular sport fish in states that retain sufficient populations. Since they are filter-feeders, paddlefish will not accept bait or lures and must be caught by snagging. Several states, including Missouri, have enacted stocking programs for these fish in reservoirs where the resident populations were low or nonexistent, or in areas where historical populations are no longer naturally sustainable. State nickname: The Show Me State Official languages English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City (largest metropolitan area is Saint Louis) Governor Matt Blunt (R) Senators Kit Bond (R) Jim Talent (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 21st 69,709 mi²; 180,693 km² 1. ...

Polyodon spathula is one of two living species of Paddlefish. Species Polyodon spathula Psephurus gladius Paddlefishes (family Polyodontidae) are bizarre-looking primitive ray-finned fishes whose snouts are greatly elongated, about 1/2 the length of the rest of the body. ...