Fish
Silver Redhorse
Moxostoma anisurum · also called silver redhorses
Moving through a clean stretch of river during its spring spawning run, a silver redhorse stands out mainly for its size, its plain silvery body and grey fins offering none of the brassy shine or reddish flash carried by several of its more colourful redhorse relatives.
Overview
The silver redhorse, Moxostoma anisurum, is one of the largest members of the redhorse group, native to clean rivers and streams across a broad range of eastern and central North America and adjacent Canada. Its notably plain silvery colouration and grey fins set it apart from several more vividly coloured redhorse relatives, even as its size makes it one of the more physically imposing suckers in its range.
Size without the usual flash
Where several redhorse relatives compensate for their modest size with brassy or reddish colouration, the silver redhorse instead leans entirely on sheer size, a plain but genuinely substantial presence among the sucker fish of clean eastern rivers.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable clean river habitat throughout eastern and central North America and adjacent Canada.
Silver Redhorse: common questions
How big does a silver redhorse get compared to other redhorse species?
The silver redhorse ranks among the largest species within the redhorse group, growing noticeably bigger than several of its smaller redhorse relatives, making size one of the more useful features for identifying a mature individual.
Why doesn't the silver redhorse have red fins like other redhorse species?
A silver redhorse displays grey to olive-toned fins rather than the reddish fins typical of several other redhorse species, a genuine colouration difference despite sharing the general redhorse common name with its more vividly finned relatives.
What kind of river does the silver redhorse need?
A silver redhorse favours clean, moderate to large rivers and streams, making it sensitive to sedimentation and pollution that can degrade water quality, similar to the habitat requirements of several other redhorse and sucker species.
Where does the silver redhorse live?
The silver redhorse is native to clean rivers and streams across a broad range of eastern and central North America and adjacent Canada, generally requiring good water quality to thrive.