Overview
Black buffalo resembles its cousin, the bigmouth buffalo, but has a smaller, nearly horizontal mouth and thicker lips. The front of the upper lip lies well below the lower margin of the eye, and the upper jaw is as long or longer than the eye's diameter. The body of a black buffalo is typically thicker than that of a smallmouth buffalo, but not as deep. Coloring is similar to the bigmouth buffalo, but usually a little darker.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Clupeiformes
- Family
- Catostomidae
- Genus
- Ictiobus
- Species
- niger
Habitat
It is most commonly found in quiet, shallow waters.
Diet
Black buffalo have a wide diet, eating insect larvae, plankton, plants, and small mollusks.
Behavior
Like other buffalo species, the black buffalo appears to spawn in shallow water during spring. This species occurs more often in strong currents, which gives rise to its common name, current buffalo.
Fishing
Buffalo will sometimes take dough baits made with cottonseed meal, and when hooked, provide exceptional sport. Black buffalo are infrequently caught in Texas.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.