Fun Northern Hogsucker Facts For Kids
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The Northern Hog Sucker (Hypentelium nigricans) belong to the Catostomidae family. This fish is found in Central and Eastern North America.
The range of these fishes includes Great Lakes, Ohio, Mississippi, and some other Atlantic drainages. The types of habitat these fishes inhabit include warm waters, large streams, small rivers, and medium-sized creeks, and similar types of environment.
The food these fishes eat includes aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollusks.
Some Northern Hogsucker identification features include a conical body towards the tail fin with a thicker head region and the body is marked or spotted with four dark-brown, lateral bars and form saddles on this fish's back.
The back is dark olive or bronze or red-brown and the belly is of a lighter shade, that is dull or pale yellow or white.
These fish have a specific number of rays in the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins. Spawning or mating of this species takes place around mid to late spring as during this time the water becomes warm.
The males of this species are known to come together in the gravel and mate with the receptive females of these species and the eggs are deposited on the gravel.
The life span of this species is almost 11 years. This species is known to be smaller than a redhorse.
This species is known to be vulnerable to some disturbances that are man-made like sedimentation, pollution, dam construction, and channelization. This species has been listed as Least Concern by Internation Union for Conservation of Nature.
It is interesting to know about Northern Hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans) and if you are interested, read about Reef Shark facts and Zebra Shark facts too.
Northern Hogsucker Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Northern Hogsucker?
Northern Hogsucker is a fish.
What class of animal does a Northern Hogsucker belong to?
Northern Hog Sucker (Hypentelium nigricans) belongs to the class of ray-finned fishes.
How many Northern Hogsuckers are there in the world?
There is been no recorded number of these Northern Hog suckers estimated.
Where does a Northern Hogsucker live?
The population of these Northern Hogsuckers ranges across Central and Eastern North America. The population is distributed in the range that includes Great Lakes, Ohio, Mississippi, and some other Atlantic drainages.
What is a Northern Hogsucker's habitat?
This species is found in areas with warm waters, large streams, small rivers, and medium-sized creeks. It is believed that these fishes prefer high-quality waters and substrates without heavy siltation.
These Northern Hog Suckers prefer to stay near the bottom in waters with a variety of depths and flow changes. Adults are known to be found in deep waters whereas the young ones in faster waters.
Who does Northern Hogsucker live with?
Northern Hog suckers are known to spawn in groups.
How long does a Northern Hogsucker live?
The life span of these Northern Hog Sucker fishes is about 11 years.
How do they reproduce?
The spawning of these fish takes place around mid to late spring as during this time the water becomes warm. The spawning takes place near the places they reside, in shallow waters and sometimes migrate long distances.
The males gather in gravel areas and many males court the receptive females.
The eggs of these fish are considered to be non-cohesive and loose and these eggs gravitate on the gravel. At around two or three years of age sexual maturity is reached but it has been observed that most of these fishes do not spawn until four years of age.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of these Northern Hog Sucker fish is Least Concern.
Northern Hogsucker Fun Facts
What do Northern Hogsucker look like?
It is believed that the Northern Hog Sucker is known to have a piglike appearance. It has a steep or a sharp forehead.
The lips of these fishes are protruding or projecting outwards and are large and fleshy which is very similar looking to the snout of a pig. The snout of these fishes is bluish-blackish in color.
There is a hollow depression between the eyes which is common in other sucker fishes of this family. The shape of the body is conical which narrows behind the dorsal fin or towards the tail fin, and marked or spotted with four dark-brown, lateral bars and form saddles on this fish's back.
The region of the head of these fishes is thicker than the caudal part. The back is dark olive or bronze or red-brown and the belly is of a lighter shade, that is dull or pale yellow or white.
Some larger fishes are known to have their dorsal fin black-tipped. There are around 11 rays in the dorsal fins and 32-38 rays in the pectoral fins.
How cute are they?
The Northern Hog Sucker is not considered cute.
How do they communicate?
Not much information is available regarding the communication of these Northern Hog Sucker.
How big is a Northern Hogsucker?
The Northern Hog sucker is known to be smaller than a redhorse and its average length ranges from 6-12 in (152-305 mm) and reaches a maximum length of about 17 in.
How fast can a Northern Hogsucker swim?
The exact speed of the Northern Hog sucker is unknown but they are known to swim very fast.
How much does a Northern Hogsucker weigh?
The weight of the Northern Hog Sucker can be up to up to 2 lb (0.9 kg).
What are their male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names for the males and females of this species.
What would you call a baby Northern Hogsucker?
There is no particular name for a baby Northern Hog Sucker.
What do they eat?
The Northern Hog Sucker fish feeds mostly on insect larvae, (crustaceans), larvae, algae, and detritus. It sucks these organisms through its snout.
Are they poisonous?
Northern Hog Sucker fishes are not considered poisonous.
Would they make a good pet?
Not much information is available regarding these fishes as pets.
Did you know...
Northern Hogsucker, scientific name Hypentelium nigricans, is derived from Greek and Latin words. The word Hypentelium has its roots in Greek and it means below five lobes and nigricans meaning blackish in Latin.
These fish are known to be a good indicator of water health as these fishes are intolerant or sensitive to polluted water.
These fish are known to migrate long distances in the spring to spawn in small streams.
These fishes are also known to compete with other species like redhorse or other sucker species for the breeding or spawning habitat.
Most Northern Hogsucker research states that the larger specimens are females.
To catch a Northern Hog Sucker (Hypentelium nigricans) let your bait drift with the current and it can also be caught with artificial lures.
Do they bite?
No, Northern Hog Sucker do not bite.
Do humans eat them?
These fishes are consumed by humans and it is believed that the best way to cook them and eat them is by deep-frying them.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish including codfish facts and barramundi facts.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable northern hogsucker coloring pages.
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