bonytail

[boh-nee-teyl]

noun

1. a fish, Gila elegans, found in the Colorado River, having flaring fins and a thin caudal peduncle.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bonytail¹

bony + tail ¹

Example Sentences

That's caused a loss of riparian forest, which supported birds and other wildlife, and pushed four native fish — humpback chub, bonytail chub, Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker — to the brink of extinction.

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Lake Mead Fish Hatchery, which used to breed endangered razorback sucker and bonytail chub, ceased operations earlier this year when the lake dipped below the point where the hatchery drew its water.

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The bonytail chub and razorback sucker used to be found throughout the Colorado River system, where they grew at least 2 feet long and lived for decades in swift currents of murky, silt-laden water.

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The bonytail was added to the endangered species list in 1980, and the razorback joined it there in 1991.

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Laux said the bonytail is considered “functionally extinct” because all the fish now found in the wild were put there by people.

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