Mapping the Mississippi

StonesWild 1/19/15

 Happy 2015 everyone!
Best wishes for another great year!

First off let me thank you all for reading this- It's important my blogs get recognized properly. Article four, here we go...


I, Stone, would like to welcome you to todays wildlife discussion...

Mapping the Mississippi- Americas Strange South

With a bright-burning culture and populous wildlife, the Mississippi is the perfect place to look for strange native wildlife. From shark like fish to American panthers, the variety of species is amazing.

With murky, shallow water and thick weed growth, its surprising how many animals can thrive here.

This post will bring out some of the strangest, largest, and most iconic wildlife of the Steamboat State and its surrounds: 

American Paddlefish

Polyodon spathula

A good animal to start with, this is probably the oddest freshwater fish known to man.

This unusual fishes ancestry traces back to evolution's early days, when fish with fully developed skeletons were beginning to dominate the aquatic ecosystems. A plankton feeder, this fish searches the murky shallow water of the Mississippi for shrimp and crawfish, which are engulfed by its cavernous mouth. The peculiar paddle-like snout of the animal, its namesake, is covered in ampulla of Lorenzini, a specialized type of hair cell sensitive to the movement of its prey. Confusingly, this fishes closest relative is on the opposite side of the world: The Chinese or Yangtze Paddlefish. Outside of bony fishes, this species is most closely allied with sharks. 

             

Alligator Gar

 Atractosteus spatula

With a double row of teeth and nearly impenetrable scales, this fish is a true monster of the shallows. An ambush predator, this animal feeds on large fish and waterfowl, such as unsuspecting ducks and geese. With a specialized gill system, this terror can travel deep into areas too silty for most fish to survive in. The largest confirmed gar on record was a 60 year old that weighed in at over 300+ pounds and stretched over 8 feet long. These fish, however slow chasers, are truly an apex predator of the Lower Mississippi. 



As seen on River Monsters



         

American Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

A well known American species, often over-feared yet under-respected, these reptiles are truly iconic to our country's south. Normally feeding on birds and large frogs, they have been known to take dogs and snapping turtles as well. With 74 to 80 teeth, they are capable of drowning and ultimately eating animals much larger than themselves.

Average individuals of the species are roughly about 10 feet and several hundred pounds, but there are exceptions. An alligator killed in Mississippi during late 2014 was over 15 feet long and circa 1011 pounds, as seen below:

Blue Catfish

 Ictalurus furcatus

Commonly growing to insane sizes of over 4 feet, these slow, rotund scavengers are well sought after by angler because of the challenge they present. From plants to muskrats, these animals will eat anything and everything their generous mouth can engulf. They have even been reported to have "attacked" snorkelers, though their teeth are small and sandpaper-like. The appropriate term for these animals would be an opportunistic predator.

Often confused with channel catfish, this species is generally slimmer and monotone.

Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentine
The second largest water turtle to swim our rivers, this monster of a reptile can potentially weigh 75 pounds and live 100+ years, with very few predators risking a fight with this animal. When one of these guys bites, it wont let go. After reaching adult size, nothing in nature can touch them. Taking down waterfowl and small mammals, this turtle can eat anything capable of being torn apart and ultimately swallowed. With immense strength in the limbs and the ability to withstand extreme pressure on the shell, this turtle has been known to dismantle metal fish traps, shredding the mesh apart. Observed eating all types of meat, plants, and even, oddly, human trash, this animal is very adaptable and has no problems coexisting with humans...who wisely give it a wide space!

A five incher did this to a man.
 Growing up to 1.5 feet long, these guys are not to be messed with



When kept as pets, these primitive reptiles change little-
They are still dangerous and should not be handled.
Above is my 5 year old snapper, Allen.
These guys get big enough to take a finger in about three years.

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

A truly inspiring bird, it is near impossible to truly encompass with human words. A fish eater, this spiritual bird of prey also includes ducks and small waterfowl on its menu. The nests of the bird, at 9 feet in diameter and often three tons in weight, are build along suitable waterside habitat in February.  

The pairing ritual of this species is truly magical:                              







Clasping talons and diving up and down, putting
total trust in one another's aerial skills,
the eagles ceremony is perhaps the most
mystifying unity of two lovers in the animal world.





 

Panther

Puma Concolor Coryi

Often living their entire lives without ever having human eyes layed upon them, these

extremely elusive "big" cats are among the most unknown of the Mississippi's wildlife.

Not often seen outside of Florida's Big Cypress Reserve, or even inside for that matter, not much is understood about these nocturnal cats. The largest native land predator, they bare often wrongly persecuted for attacks actually committed by feral dogs. Of the limited information on the species, it is understood that they number in the hundreds, perhaps even the ten, and that two is the standard number of cubs produced. These beautiful cats, however savage when encountered, are truly a symbol of the last wilderness left in the South.



Often prey this large is not attempted,

 unless the main hunt of rabbits and nutria is unsuccessful.
 More often than not, it is the cat who loses the fight.







Thank you for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it.

Best wishes,

Safari Stone