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Bowfin — printable fact sheet
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Animal Fact Sheet
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Bowfin
Amia calva
The bowfin is the sole survivor of an entire lineage. Every other member of the Halecomorphi is a fossil, and the bowfin has been swimming in North American swamps essentially unchanged for well over 100 million years — which makes it the closest living relative of all the teleo…
Did you know?
- Despite their fierce appearance, bowfins are not related to true pikes or gars, but represent a unique evolutionary lineage dating back over 150 million years.
- Male bowfin carry an eyespot on the upper base of the tail, ringed in orange or yellow; females usually lack the ring. Bowfin roe is now marketed as "Cajun caviar" and has become a genuine commercial product, an unusual rehabilitation for a fish anglers once clubbed and threw on the bank. Its long, undulating dorsal fin runs almost the whole length of the back and lets it swim forwards or backwards without moving the rest of its body.
What I learned
Draw the bowfin
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