| Endangered Species: Orangefin Madtom |
A Christiansburg Elementary Project
Submitted by Justin H
Christiansburg Elementary School, Christiansburg, U.S.A.
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Photography courtesy of Virginia's Endangered Species |
Why Study This Topic?
I want to find out how the madtom became endangered
and what it lookes like. I also wanted to find out why people call this
fish a madtom.
What Was Already Known
Before I searched, I already knew that a madtom looks
like a catfish.
Search for Information
I searched in a book called Viginia's Endangered
Species. It is a big book that only has Virginia's endangered species.
I looked up the madtom. When I found it, I printed all that I could find
on on the Orangefin Madtom.
Description
The size of an adult male madtom is from 60 to 80
millimeters long. The female gets from 70 to 85 millimeters long. The largest
recorded madtom was 85 millimeters long. The shape of a madtom is similar
to the shape of a catfish. It has a narrow head, small eyes, and inferior
mouth. The upper half of the madtom's head is pale gray to a medium brown.
It has a yellow olive cast. The under side of its head is pale gray to
a yellow olive. Some madtoms have a slight pink cast. The madtom has a
whitish ventral fins, and its fins are colorless. Some have slight yellow
markings on their fins. Most have intense colors on their pectoral fin.
The Orangefin Madtom is never bright orange, except when fins are folded.
Its lower caudel lobe is brown, and its dorsal fin is a basal blotch.
The madtom feeds mostly at night. The Orangefin
madtom is mature within two years. Some individual madtoms aremature in
one year. The life span of the madtom is three years or less.
Habitat Requirements
The madtom feeds on immature aquatic insects, particulary
mayflies, caddisflies, and midges. The madtom is found in a narrow range
of the Peidmont streams. The madtom's largest populated areas are Craig
County, the Roanoke drainage just above Salem, and the Dan River ( found
mostly in clear waters ). Smaller populations are found in deep streams.
The madtom has the shelter of weeds, grass, and rocks. The madtom has a
lot of the upper Peidmont section of Virginia.
Adaptations
Because madtom feeds on immature aquatic insects,
particularly mayflies, caddisflies, and midges, it needs to live in clear-water
streams. Channelization, siltation, forms of chronic pollution, catastrophic
chemical spills, impoudment, and dewatering, all kill the Orangefin Madtom.
Reasons for Endangerment
This loss of the madtom's habitat is caused by channelization,
siltation, forms of chronic pollution, catastrophic chimical spills, impoundment,
and dewatering which destroy the madtom's habitat.
Restoration Actions
The only actions taken that I know about are taking
the madtoms in and breeding them to get them off the endangerment list.
My idea for the future actions is to get them off of the endangered species
list by cleaning up all of the rivers, lakes, and oceans. After that, I
would make a law against throwing trash into the water.
The actions taken for these fish are a group of
people such as "Save Our Streams" gets out and cleans up the pollution
in the waters.
What Was Learned
I learned the habitat of the madtom is clear water,
not too deep, and a rocky bottom. I learned that problems of the madtom
are caused when channelization, siltation, pollution, chemical spills,
impoudment, and dewatering occur.
Conclusions From Research
The benefits of the research I did on the madtom was
that after my research I gained more research skills or awarness of this
endangered species. The self benefits I got from my research on the madtom
is that now I have more confidence in myself that I can do a research paper.
I also have more experience.
Bibliography
Terwilliger, Karen.1991. "Virginia's Endangered
Species" Pages: 367-369
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pages then email your contributions to Christiansburg
Elementary
© copyright 1997
Christiansburg Elementary |
Last updated on March 12, 1997
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