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State Fish
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Wyoming State Fish
Cutthroat Trout
(Salmo clarki)
formerly
(Oncorhynchus clarki)
Adopted on February 18, 1987
Wyoming adopted two official fishes in 1987. Knightia, a prehistoric herring that left countless fossils in Wyoming, was named the state fossil. The
cutthroat trout, Salmo clarki, the only trout native to Wyoming, was designated the state fish.
While Montana, Idaho and Wyoming simply adopted the "cutthroat trout" as their state fish, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico adopted particular subspecies.
Description of the Wyoming State Fish
All cutthroat trout have a "cut," a patch of orange or red on the throat and they differ from the rainbow trout because they have basibranchial (hyoid) teeth in their throat between the gill arches, they typically have longer heads and jaws than the rainbow and often times can be distinguished from the rainbow by their larger spots. The cutthroat is known to be more vulnerable to anglers because of a general lack of wariness and can be caught on a wide variety of bait.
Habitat:
Wyoming's rarest cutthroat is the Bonneville cutthroat trout, also known as the Utah or Bear River cutthroat. In Wyoming, it's found in the upper Bear River watershed.
Wyoming boasts five subspecies, or varieties, of cutthroat trout, reportedly more than any other state. They include the Snake River cutthroat, which is heavily spotted, and the Yellowstone River cutthroat, whose spots are fewer but larger. The Colorado River cutthroat is found in the headwaters of the Green and Little Snake rivers. The west-slope cutthroat inhabits the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park.
Taxonomic Hierarchy of the Cutthroat Trout
| Kingdom |
Animalia -- animals |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Osteichthyes |
| Order |
Salmoniformes |
| Family |
Salmonidae |
| Genus |
Salmo |
| Species |
Salmo clarki formerly (Oncorhynchus clarki) |
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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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