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State Fish
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Colorado State Fish
Greenback Cutthroat Trout
(Oncorhynchus clarki stomias)Adopted on March 15, 1994.
Colorado adopted the greenback cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki somias, on March 15, 1994. The introduced rainbow trout had been nominated for adoption as the state fish by the Colorado Game and Fish Commission in 1954, but it was never made official.
The Game & Fish Commission was later renamed the Division of Wildlife. In 1976, it requested nominations for a state fish from the public as part of a Centennial project, and the greenback cutthroat emerged the winner.
Description
Greenback cutthroat trout are coldwater fish belonging to the trout, salmon and whitefish family. They have dark, round spots on the sides and tail and two colorful blood-red stripes on each side of the throat under the jaw, hence the name "cutthroat." During the spring spawning season the entire belly may become crimson red.
Habitat
The greenback cutthroat trout was once indigenous to many small creeks, streams and rivers throughout most of Colorado. But it disappeared from many streams after Colorado was settled. The main culprits were mine tailings and competition from other trout species.
Spawning occurs usually from late May to mid-July in higher elevations. Male cutthroat spawn first at age two, and females mature a year later. Females build an egg pit in gravel generally three to eight inches deep and one foot in diameter. A 10-inch female will lay about 800 eggs. Larger fish of about four to seven pounds will lay up to 6,000 eggs.
Up until the late 1980's biologists feared the greenback might be extinct. But in the early 1990's, researchers found several small populations in Rocky Mountain National Park.
With protection, the greenback is now recovering its numbers. There are plans to reintroduce the colorful fish to other streams where it once swam
Taxonomic Hierarchy
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| Kingdom |
Animalia -- animals |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Osteichthyes |
| Order |
Salmoniformes |
| Family |
Salmonidae |
| Genus |
Oncorhynchus |
| Species |
Oncorhynchus clarki stomias |
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State Fishes
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This is a list of official and *unofficial U.S. state fish:
The only states lacking a state fish as of 2008 are Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, and Ohio.
fish ('fish)
n. pl. fish or fishˇes
1. Any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates of the superclass Pisces, characteristically
having fins, gills, and a streamlined body and including specifically:
2. The flesh of such animals used as food.
3. Any of various primitive aquatic vertebrates of the class Cyclostomata, lacking jaws
and including the lampreys and hagfishes.
4. Any of various unrelated aquatic animals, such as a jellyfish, cuttlefish, or crayfish.
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