Goldfish (Carrasius auratus)
Identification: Body stout, dorsal fin long with fin base much longer than head. No barbels. Colour variable, from olive-green through gold to creamy white. Young fish are darker and are green, brown, greyish bronze, or almost black.
Life History: Introduced species, indigenous to eastern Asia. Generally only establish self-sustaining populations in small lakes or ponds. Hybridize readily with carp. Spawns in the spring in warm, weedy shallows.
Feeding: Omnivorous, feeding on a variety of larval and adult aquatic insects, molluscs, crustaceans, aquatic worms and aquatic vegetation.
References:
Scott, W and Crossman, E. 1973. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada. Bulletin 184. Ottawa, Ontario.
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