Bowfin
Amia calva
Summary 2
Family: Amiidae
Bowfins(Amia calva) are extraordinarily hardy fish, living in wetlands, swamps and vegetated lakes. They have the ability to swallow air and force it into their swim bladder, which functions as a type of simple lung. This enables them to live in warm waters that typically have less oxygen. Bowfins will eat whatever fits in the mouth, including fishes, crayfishes, frogs, etc.
How to recognize: Long fin along the back. Short fin near the anus. The nostrils are tubes. There is a bone, called the gular plate, under the chin. Many have a dark spot surrounded by a pale halo near the upper base of the tail. Up to 2½ feet /0.8 meters long.
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