PADDLEFISH

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AMERICAN PADDLEFISH

Paddlefish have been swimming in North American rivers since long before the dinosaurs disappeared! Their unusual paddle-shaped snout, called a rostrum, is covered with thousands of tiny sensors that help them detect electrical signals in the water.

Despite their large size and shark-like appearance, paddlefish are gentle filter feeders. They swim with their mouths wide open, straining tiny organisms called zooplankton from the water. American paddlefish can grow more than 6 feet long and weigh well over 100 pounds!

As part of our Paddlefish rear and release program, we recently acquired these juvenile paddlefish and will rear them for several months and then release them back into the wild, helping to restore populations.