What is a Minnow?

studentofsteem (46)in #whatisaminnow • 2 years ago (edited)

What is a Minnow?

"Just like they say, ‘more species, more problems’…well, we’ve got lots of problems. The minnow family—Cyprinidae (Sy-Prin-I-Dee)—is the largest freshwater fish family in the world, boasting over 3,000 species from ~370 genera."

"All small fishes are minnows. Over the years, the term ‘minnow’ has become a colloquial expression for any small fish in any waterbody. A few freshwater non-minnow species even have the word ‘minnow’ in their common name—for example mudminnows and topminnows, which are in the families Umbriidae (Um-bri-dee) and Fundulidae (Fundulidae, Fun-doo-li-dee), respectively. Other small and silvery fishes can resemble minnows including silversides (Atherinopside Ath-er-in-ops-i-dee) or even small shads (of the herring family Clupeidae, Clu-pee-i-dee)."