Bowfin
Found throughout the Mississippi River and the southeastern part of America, the Bowfin is a primitive species, sometimes referred to as a “living fossil” as it’s the only living representative of the family Amiidae, which dates back to the Jurassic Period. Bowfin have a lunglike swim bladder that allows them to surface and breathe air; this is advantageous as it allows the fish to live in warmer bodies of water, where oxygen levels are lower. Bowfin feed on fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects and can grow to 20-30 inches in length. Bowfin (Latin name Amia calva) are often referred to by one of their many nicknames, Dogfish and Grinnel being just two of them.
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