| Paddlefishes | ||||||||||
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Polyodon spathula Psephurus gladius |
Paddlefishes (family Polyodontidae) are bizarre-looking primitive ray-finned fisheses whose snouts are greatly elongated, about 1/2 the length of the rest of the body. There are only two living species: the Chinese and the Mississippi.
The Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius) lives in the Yangtze River. 3-meter specimens weighing 300 kg have been recorded; the reports of 7-meter fish are doubtful.
The Mississippi paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) lives in the slow-flowing waters of the Mississippi River system.