Discover What Lives in and Lurks at the Bottom of the Ottawa River

Canada’s Ottawa River is located in Quebec and Ontario. The river flows through Central Quebec, west to Lake Timiskaming along the Quebec and Ontario border. It spans about 790 miles, making it Canada’s eighth-largest river. Furthermore, the Ottawa River is Canada’s deepest river at a whopping 318 feet. It also forms multiple lakes, such as Grand Victoria and Lake Simard.

This article details the fauna and flora surrounding this extensive river or lurking within its depths.

What Lives in the Ottawa River?

Numerous plant and animal species call the Ottawa River their home. They include various types of fish, amphibians, mollusks, and aquatic plants. This river is primarily a freshwater habitat with rich biodiversity, including several threatened and endangered species.

Fish

It’s estimated that over 85 fish species lurk in the Ottawa River, including the:

• American brook lamprey
• Northern pike
• Rock bass
• Blacknoseshiner
• Yellow perch
• Golden shiner
• Rainbow trout
• Sauger
• White crappie
• Lake sturgeon
• Cutlips minnow
• Fantail darter

Amphibians

The Ottawa River has several species of amphibians, including the largest North American frog, the American bullfrog. Other amphibians are the leopard frog, salamanders, and mudpuppies.

Mollusks

The river and its tributaries are also home to around 17 species of freshwater mussels, including the native freshwater mussel and the hickorynut.

Plants

Most of the Ottawa River is fast flowing, so only hardy aquatic plants grow well there, including:

• Duckweed
• Hornwort
• European water chestnut
• Frog-bit
• American white waterlily
• Little floating hearts
• Tape grasses
• Large-fruit bureed

What Lives at the Bottom of the Ottawa River?

The bottom of the Ottawa River is sandy or muddy with submerged rocks and aquatic plants. This creates an ideal environment for several animals, such as the American eel and American brook lamprey. Fish such as rock bass and lake sturgeon roam the river’s rocky and sandy bottom. Some plants that grow at the bottom of the river include hornwort and Vallisneria americana.

American eels burrow in the Ottawa River’s sandy bottom and were once a dominant species in the river. Unfortunately, their numbers have since declined, which puts the species at risk.

Freshwater mussels are commonly found at the bottom of this river. About 100 individual freshwater mussels per square meter are found on the river bottom. The hickorynut (Obovaria olivaria) is one of the 17 species of freshwater mussel found in the Ottawa River. Hickorynuts are found along the river’s sandy bottom and play an important role in keeping the river clean.

Lake sturgeons are hosts for hickorynut mussels. These mussels burrow in the gills of the sturgeons, helping the mussels successfully reproduce.

A few amphibians lurk at the bottom of the Ottawa River. They include mudpuppies, which hide under rocks during the day, along with leopard frogs that often hibernate at the bottom of rivers. They are more common in the shallow parts of the river.

Interestingly, the bottom of the Ottawa River is littered with tree trunks due to the river’s history as a transportation route for logs. Not every log made the journey, and some fell off and sank to the bottom.

Wildlife Surrounding the Ottawa River

Many other species live around the river, like birds, reptiles, insects, mammals, and plants.

Birds

The Ottawa River is an ideal environment for several species of birds. Even the rare least bittern can occasionally be spotted there, although their small size makes them challenging to see. Here are a few other birds living in the area:

• Osprey
• Loggerhead shrike
• American eagle
• Bobolink
• Great blue heron
• Least bittern

Reptiles

Snakes and turtles are some of the many reptiles roaming the area, including the:

• Milk snake
• Eastern ribbon snake
• Spiny softshell turtle
• Northern water snake
• Blandigs turtle

Insects

Freshwater-loving insects, like mayflies and dragonflies, can be observed around the Ottawa.

• Mayfly
• Dragonflies

Mammals

Both small and large mammals make their homes around the river:

• Muskrat
• River otter
• Beaver
• Rabbits
• Chipmunk
• Moose
• Grey squirrel

Plants

The following plants grow in the clay soil that borders the river:

• American ginseng
• Butternut
• Buttonbush
• Eastern prairie fringed-orchid
• Bebb’s sedge

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Facto Photo/Shutterstock.com