Greenback Cutthroat Trout

Oncorhynchus clarki stomias

We are bouncing all over the world now-- from India, to Antarctica, and now to the Rocky Mountains of the United States!

Today's animal is a subspecies of fish that is found only in those particular mountains-- the Greenback Cutthroat Trout. These freshwater fish once had a massive range that extended over the Rockies and the American West. Today they are limited to only 1% of that, and are found only in the state of Colorado (where it is the state fish).

The Greenback Cuttroat Trout grows to lengths of around 1.5ft, and weighs up to 10lbs. They have brilliant green and red coloration, complete with spots, and become even more vibrant during spawning.

The reason for the decline of this fish is threefold-- they were over-fished, they dealt with industrialization and toxic runoff from mining, and they had to compete with introduced fish species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been undertaking recovery efforts for the past few decades. Unfortunately, inter-breeding and the persistence of threats have kept these fish to just a 4 mile stretch of the Bear River.

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IUCN Status : Not listed, but Endangered by USA Endangered Species Act
Location : North America
Size : Length up to 18in (45cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Salmoniformes
Family : Salmonidae -- Genus : Oncorhynchus-- Species : O. clarki -- Subspecies : O. c. stomias
Image :  Joel Sartore