The American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is a smooth-skinned ray-
finned freshwater fish that is the only living species of the paddlefish
family. The fish is often considered a relict species as it retains some
morphological traits of its early ancestors, including a mostly
cartilaginous skeleton and a paddle-shaped rostrum extending from its
cranium for roughly one-third its body length. It is also considered a
highly derived fish due to its novel adaptations, such as filter
feeding. The planktivorous fish averages 5 ft (1.5 m) in length, and
has a heterocercal tail fin resembling that of sharks. It is native to
the Mississippi River basin, with a range extending to the Great Lakes,
but is now considered vulnerable due to overfishing, poaching, habitat
destruction, and pollution, and its naturally occurring populations have
died off in most of its peripheral range, including New York and
Pennsylvania.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_paddlefish>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1891:
Chilean Civil War: The armored frigate Blanco Encalada was sunk
at the Battle of Caldera Bay, the first ironclad warship lost to a self-
propelled torpedo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Caldera_Bay>
1927:
Cardiff City defeated Arsenal 1–0 in the FA Cup Final (match
programme pictured), the only time the FA Cup has been won by a non-
English team.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1927_FA_Cup_Final>
1942:
Second World War: In retaliation for the Royal Air Force's
bombing of Lübeck, the Luftwaffe began a series of air raids across
England, beginning with Exeter.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baedeker_Blitz>
2019:
A landslide triggered the collapse of a jade mine in Hpakant,
Myanmar, resulting in six confirmed deaths and presumed dozens more.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_2019_Hpakant_jade_mine_collapse>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Gramarye:
(literary, Arthurian, rare) The island of Britain.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gramarye>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our work to date has detailed a horror story of violations
perpetrated against civilians. First and foremost, this senseless war
must stop. But as the fighting shows no sign of abating, it is vital
that all parties to the conflict give clear instructions to their
combatants to strictly respect international humanitarian law and
international human rights law. … This means distinguishing between
civilian and military objects. It means not targeting or deliberately
killing civilians. It means not committing sexual violence. People,
including prisoners of war, must not be tortured. Civilians, prisoners
and others hors de combat must be treated humanely. … Those in command
of armed forces must make it clear to their fighters that anyone found
to have been involved in such violations will be prosecuted and held
accountable.
--Michelle Bachelet
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michelle_Bachelet>