Identification: Head triangular, mouth toothless with upper jaw slightly protruding. Two pairs of barbels on sides of upper jaw. Dorsal fin is long with fin base much longer than head. Colour varies, usually olive-green on the back to yellowish on the belly. Lower half of the caudal fin and the anal fin often with reddish hue.

Life History: Introduced species, indigenous to Asia. Spawn in the spring and early summer in weedy or grassy shallows. Fecundity ranges from 36,000 eggs per female to 2,208,000 eggs per female. Life span in North America is generally to 20 years.

Feeding: Omnivorous, including aquatic insects, crustaceans, annelids and molluscs, weed and tree seeds, wild rice, aquatic plants and algae.

Scott, W and Crossman, E. 1973. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada. Bulletin 184. Ottawa, Ontario.

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