Colorado pikeminnow

Description

Like the other three species of pikeminnow,it has an elongated body reminiscent of the pike.The cone-shaped and somewhat flattened head is elongated,forming nearly a quarter of the body length.Color grades from bright olive green on the back to a paler yellowish shade on the flanks,to white underneath.Young fish also have a dark spot on the caudal fin.Both the dorsal and anal fins typically have nine rays.The pharyngeal teeth are long and hooked.The reports of 6 ft individuals are estimates from skeletal remains but a number of community elders,interviewed by the Salt Lake Tribune in 1994,reported that such individuals were once common.Catches in the 1960s ranged up to 60 cm for 11-year-old fish but,by the early 1990s,maximum sizes reached no more than 34 cm.Biologists now consider the average size of an adult pikeminnow to be between 4 and 9 pounds,and reports of the fish latterly exceeding 3 feet in length are now in question.