Freshwater Fishes
More than 15,000 species of freshwater fishes are part of healthy rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands around the world.
Spotlight on sturgeon
Unbelievable lives in your backyard! The lake sturgeon is a Great Lakes native—and a living fossil, first appearing in the fossil record some 136 million years ago.
We’re still learning about this big, bottom-feeding species. Shedd's research team and partners at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently used satellite tags to track lake sturgeon in the Niagara River! Among the findings, the data confirmed that these large Great Lakes residents are nocturnal.
Studying the "wildebeest of the Great Lakes"
When you hear the word "migration," you probably think of birds, but fish migrate too. Since 2017, Shedd research biologist Karen Murchie has been studying the migration patterns of suckers, which she fondly refers to as the "wildebeests of the Great Lakes."
“There are so many amazing fish that live in fresh waters. I’ve always been happy to share so many fish species that rely on these environments to sustain life.”
Erica Hornbrook, director, fishes
Tambaqui
Clouded Archerfish
Paddlefish
Violet-Line Piranha
Moonlight gourami
Lungfish
Cichlid
Arapaima
Red-bellied Piranha