Smallmouth buffalo

The smallmouth buffalo is a catostomid fish native to the major tributaries and surrounding waters of the Mississippi River in the United States, and has also been introduced to other water systems. It is a long-lived, stocky fish related to the bigmouth buffalo and the black buffalo; unlike the bigmouth buffalos forward-facing mouth, its mouth sits ventrally, and its eyes are thought to be notably larger than the black buffalos. Despite sometimes being confused with common carp, buffalofish are native to North America and lack the barbels carp have. The species is now recognized as one of the longest-lived fishes, capable of living more than a century, but it is in decline across large parts of its range and faces largely unregulated exploitation, including from modern bowfishing.