The American paddlefish is one of the largest freshwater fish in North America. Closely related to the sturgeon, it is one of only two extant taxa in the paddlefish family (the other being the Chinese paddlefish). Fossil records of paddlefish date back over 300 million years ago, nearly 50 million years before dinosaurs appeared. The American paddlefish is referred to as a relict species (because it retains some morphological characteristics of its early ancestors) even though it is highly derived with evolutionary adaptations specifically for filter feeding. The rostrum and cranium of American paddlefish are covered with tens of thousands of sensory receptors for locating swarms of zooplankton, their primary food source. American paddlefish are native to the Mississippi River Basin and once moved freely under the relatively natural, unaltered conditions that existed prior to the early 1900s. Their numbers have declined dramatically primarily because of overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. They are currently found in only twenty-two U.S. states, and their range has been reduced to the Mississippi and Missouri river tributaries and Mobile Bay drainage basin.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_paddlefish

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1777:

An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas Island (pictured), the largest coral atoll in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiritimati

1814:

The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, in present-day Belgium, ending the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom and the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Ghent

1826:

More than one third of the cadets enrolled in the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, rioted over the smuggling of whiskey to make eggnog for a Christmas Day party. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggnog_Riot

1964:

The Viet Cong bombed the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, killing two US Army officers, raising fears of an escalation in the Vietnam War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Brinks_Hotel_bombing

1974:

Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin, Australia, eventually destroying more than 70 percent of the city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

bullshot: 1. A cocktail made from vodka and beef bouillon. 2. (neologism, video games) A phony screenshot created for promotional purposes. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bullshot

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I feel like a spinning top or a Dreidel The spinning don't stop when you leave the cradle You just slow down Round and around this world you go Spinning through the lives of the people you know We all slow down.   --Don McLean https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Don_McLean