Wildlife of Chatfield State Park

The johnny darter, Etheostoma nigrum, is a species of ray-finned fish found in shallow water throughout eastern North America. Its name comes from the Greek root words etheo, meaning to filter, stoma, meaning mouth, and nigrum, meaning black in Latin. They are important members of their aquatic ecosystems as predators and prey, and do not normally cause problems or have negative effects on their habitats. Their lifespans are about three years and they reach sexual maturity... less ↑

Walleye (Sander vitreus, formerly Stizostedion vitreum) is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch. The walleye is sometimes called the yellow walleye to distinguish it from the blue walleye, which is a subspecies that can be found in the southern Ontario and Quebec regions. less ↑

The yellow perch (Perca flavescens), commonly referred to as perch, is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill from New York. Yellow perch are closely related, and morphologically similar to the European perch (Perca fluviatilis); however, the two are recognized as independent species based on anatomical and genetic differences. Other common names for yellow perch include American perch, coontail, lake perch, raccoon... less ↑

The brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans) is a small freshwater fish that is distributed across the US and Canada. It grows to a length of about 2 inches. It occupies the northern part of the eastern United States, as well as the southern half of Canada. Small populations are scattered throughout the Mississippi-Great Lakes basin extending to Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, Tennessee, etc., though some of these areas are not native to the species. This small fish inhabits... less ↑

The brown trout (Salmo trutta) is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes both purely freshwater populations, referred to Salmo trutta morpha fario and S. trutta morpha lacustris, and anadromous forms known as the sea trout, S. trutta morpha trutta. The latter migrates to the oceans for much of its life and returns to fresh water only to spawn. Sea trout in the UK and Ireland... less ↑

The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of salmonid native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the Coastal rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) or redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) that usually returns to freshwater to spawn after living two to three years at sea. Freshwater forms that have been introduced into the Great Lakes and migrate into tributaries to spawn are... less ↑

The black bullhead or black bullhead catfish (Ameiurus melas) is a species of bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid and/or very warm. It also has barbels located near its mouth, a broad head, spiny fins and no scales. It can be identified from other bullheads as the barbels are black, and it has a tan crescent around the tail. Its caudal... less ↑

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8 million anglers targeting them per year. The popularity of channel catfish for food has contributed to the rapid growth of aquaculture of this species in the United States. less ↑

The Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius) is a small to medium sized freshwater minnow. Spottail Shiners are members of the phylum Chordata and class Actinopterygii, which are the ray-finned and spiny ray fish. It is a member of the order Cypriniformes and family Cryprinidae, which consist of the carps and minnows. The spottail shiner can usually be found as far north as the Canada or as far south as the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. These shiners live... less ↑

The longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) is a freshwater minnow native to North America. Rhinicthys means snout fish (reference to the long snout) and catarace means of the cataract (first taken from Niagara Falls). Longnose dace are small, typically less than 100 mm and characterized by their fleshy snout that protrudes past the mouth. They are well adapted for living on the bottom of fast-flowing streams among stones. Longnose dace eat algae and aquatic insects and are important... less ↑

The common name of Hybognathus hankinsoni is the Brassy Minnow. This is a species belonging to the family Cyprinidae. It is widespread throughout North America where it inhabits sluggish, clear waters found in creeks, rivers and lakes. It can be identified from other similar-looking minnows from its brassy coloration and its basioccipital process which is broad and straight to concave posteriorly. less ↑

Semotilus atromaculatus, known as the creek chub or the common creek chub, is a small minnow, a freshwater fish found in the eastern US and Canada. Differing in size and color depending on origin of development, the creek chub can usually be defined by a dark brown body with a white lateral line spanning horizontally across the body. It lives primarily within streams and river. The genus name Semotilus derives from the Greek word sema (also... less ↑

The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered a very destructive invasive species, being included in the List of the world's 100 worst invasive species. It gives its name to the carp family: Cyprinidae. less ↑

The longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus) is a species of cypriniform freshwater fish in the Catostomidae family. It is native to North America from the northern United States to the top of the continent. It is also found in Russia in rivers of eastern Siberia, and thus one of only two species of sucker native to Asia (the other is the Chinese Myxocyprinus asiaticus). less ↑

The tiger muskellunge is a carnivorous fish, and is the usually sterile, hybrid offspring of the true muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) and the northern pike (Esox lucius). It lives in fresh water and its range extends to Canada, the Northeast, and the Midwest United States. It grows quickly; in one study, tiger muskie grew 1.5 times as fast as muskellunge. Trophy specimens weigh about 30 lb. Its main diet is fish and small birds. The tiger muskie... less ↑