News and Society, Nature

What is the name of a fish with a long nose?

Freshwater fish paddlefish is a representative of the family Pike-perch, detachment Sturgeon, species Lucheper.

Why fish long nose?

Until recently, scientists believed that it serves only to extract food from the bottom of the reservoirs. However, recent studies have shown that the snout of a paddlefish for a few kilometers can feel the approach of fish and other water dwellers, and also helps to hunt and chase prey.

Description

A fish with a long nose, whose name is a paddler, is a large fish weighing 70 to 80 kg, reaching a length of 200 cm. An intimidating, unusual sight is attached to it by a snout (nose-paddle), or rostrum - elongated anterior bones of the skull. The nose has a length equal to one-third of the length of the entire fish. At the bottom of the snout are small eyes. On the lower surface of the rostrum is the organ of touch - small antennae. The young generation has a large number of small sharp teeth.

Body paddlefish without scales, completely naked. The back color is dark gray, on the belly and on the sides a lighter shade. On the back there is one fin, which is shifted closer to the caudal part of the trunk.

Paddlefish live from 20 to 30 years. However, among them there are also elders who have reached the age of 55 years.

Inhabitation

A fish with a long nose is very active and constantly in motion. As in the tributaries, and in the Mississippi River itself in the United States, there is a paddle, and in addition, it can be found in rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

Occurs at a depth of about three meters, away from the coastline. In the spring and summer, the paddlers, at the very surface of the water, can make jumps out of it. During tides the fish go to the lake, and returns after the low tide of water.

Food

A fish with a long nose is the only representative of the sturgeon, feeding on phyto- and zooplankton. Constantly open large mouth paddle collects prey: algae, insects, worms, larvae, plankton. Once in the mouth through a network of long gill hairs, plankton is strained and then sent to the stomach. Finds food paddles with the help of rostrum, he as an antenna catches the fluctuations of the electric field, which create small organisms in the pond.

Reproduction

Before the spawning begins, in spring, the fish with a long nose gathers in flocks and goes upstream to select the breeding site. On lakes, preference is given to sites with stony ground at a depth of five to six meters at a water temperature of +16 degrees. Spawning in Mississippi begins in the last days of April.

The female lays large eggs, which can reach a diameter of 3 mm, and their number varies from 80 to 250 thousand pieces. On the tenth day, larvae appear. Young growth quickly comes in growth and weight, thanks to good nutrition. In two weeks, the nose-paddle begins to grow. In a year they already have a body length of about 70 cm. The maturity of young shoots reaches 5-10 years. Males ripen faster than females. Paddlers do not breed annually. The intervals between spawning can be from 4 to 7 years.

Fishing, breeding

Fish with a long nose (photo below) is a commercial fish. At the beginning of the last century, its annual catches exceeded 600 tons. In today's world, due to the active development of industry, the construction of dams and, as a consequence, the pollution of water bodies, catches in the USA have significantly decreased. In recent years, attempts have been made to artificially reproduce paddlefish.

In the 70s of XX century in the fishing farms of Moldova and in the Krasnodar Territory attempts were made to acclimatize the paddlefish. On planes, the eggs were first delivered to the Soviet Union, and then to fish farms. An interesting fact was noted that in captivity of sexual maturity the fish reached much earlier. Females went to spawn at the age of two years, and males - one year. And now the paddlefish is successfully bred in fish farms of Kostroma and Voronezh regions, in Primorye. You can take it on private ponds. The usual worm is used as a bait. They feed on the feeder, the bottom tackle.

Fish with a long nose, a paddle, with the status of a threatened species was included in the lists of the International Red Book.

The fish is contained in artificial ponds with vegetation and mud, a depth of up to two meters and an area of approximately 70 hectares. The water temperature is maintained at 22-25 degrees. By the age of 2-3 years, the paddle is gaining weight from 2.5 to 5 kg. From one hectare is grown about 100 kg with an average mass of fish 2 kg.

Paddlefish meat is rich in trace elements, fatty acids and vitamins. Caviar and meat are expensive. Black caviar in quality and value is not inferior to sturgeon. The fish has a wonderful taste and is used for cooking many culinary masterpieces: shish kebab, fish soup, balyk, preserves.

Fish with a sharp long nose

Istiophoridae (marlin) is a fish with an interesting muzzle structure that develops speed under water up to 110 km / h. The nose is spear-shaped, long, thin. Two dorsal fins are located close to each other. The back of the fish is dark blue, and the sides have a silver hue. The body is powerful, somewhat flattened in the sides. It feeds on marlin tuna, crab, shrimp, benthic organisms.

Male blue marlins are four times smaller in weight than females. For reproduction, marlin is ready for three years. At spawning fish leave from August to November, sometimes multiply four times per season. Fecundity is high, up to 7 million eggs. The larvae develop very rapidly, within a day they can grow from 1 to 16 mm. The younger generation has a blue color on the back and white on the abdomen. The tail and fin are light blue.