Re: NANFA-- Fw: sheep's head

Christopher Scharpf (ichthos_at_charm.net)
Tue, 15 May 2001 07:48:06 -0400

That's a bowfin, Amia calva. And it's the father that protects the young, not
the mother.

Chris Scharpf
Baltimore

>I'm helping with amphibian research in Ward Marsh which is next to the
>Poultney River which feeds into Lake Champlain in the state of Vermont.
>Two days ago I was walking along the edge of the marsh after collecting
>data on amphibians when I saw a large dark mass near the shore. When I
>got closer I saw that it was a large group of fry that where swimming in
>a protective mass. There might have been a thousand of them or at least
>hundreds. I then notice that there was a large fish that was with
>them. Mother? Father? This fish was over 2 feet long and had a blunt
>head with short whiskers which she pointed ahead of her. There was a
>large false eye on her tail and the pectoral fins where a wonderful neon
>powder bluish color. I don't notice much if any dorsal fin. The young
>swam around and under her for protection. The mother didn't wish to
>swim into deeper water, I would guess since there was more danger of
>perdition in that location. Might you know what this fish is? I was
>told that a local name for it was Sheep's Head.
>
>David Cunningham

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