American Paddlefish

The American paddlefish is a large freshwater fish native to the Mississippi River basin, closely related to sturgeons within the order Acipenseriformes. It carries a flat, paddle-shaped rostrum roughly a third of its body length, covered in thousands of electroreceptors that detect the movement of zooplankton. Adults typically reach about 1.5 meters and 27 kilograms, filter-feeding by swimming with an open mouth and straining prey over its gill rakers. Habitat loss and overfishing have reduced its range from historic levels, and it is currently listed as Vulnerable.