Paddlefish Animal Pictures

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Chinese paddlefish swims with open mouth.
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Over-fishing played a large role in the demise of this fish.

The American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)
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By USFWS - https://digitalmedia.fws.gov/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89547873

The Mississippi Paddlefish
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By USFWS Mountain-Prairie - Paddlefish fingerling, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87173975

Paddlefish on white background
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American Paddlefish are classified as a primitive fish species, which means that they have many physical characteristics in common with the earliest fish.

American Paddlefish swimming in a stream
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The American Paddlefish is smooth-skinned and almost entirely comprised of cartilage.