The Answer for the May 11 Mystery is……
If you guessed Mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, Atlantic killifish, mummies, gudgeons, or mud minnows… you are correct!
Did you know?
- You will find these fish in brackish and coastal waters including estuaries and salt marshes
- This species is hardy and has the ability to tolerate highly variable salinity, temperature fluctuations from 43 to 95 °F, low oxygen levels, and heavily polluted ecosystems. As a result, the mummichog is a popular research subject
- It is the first fish ever sent to space, aboard Skylab in 1973
- They are found along the shore from Florida to Nova Scotia
- Mummichogs are omnivorous. Analyses of their stomach contents have found diatoms, amphipods and other crustaceans, molluscs, fish eggs (including their own species), very small fish, insect larvae, and bits of eelgrass
- The maximum length is 5 to 6 inches, but adult mummichogs are seldom more than 3½ to 4 inches long
- Some fishermen use them as bait
- The mouth is upturned and the lower jaw protrudes when the mouth is closed. Pectoral and tail fins are round. Mummichogs have 10-13 dorsal fin rays, 9-12 anal fin rays, 16-20 pectoral fin rays. Males have larger dorsal and anal fins than females.
