Texas Wildlife Association presents....

December 2013 Kid’s Quarterly Mini-Mag! Vol. 7 No. 4

Postcards from Nancy....By Cara Bierschwale

Howdy, Friends! Do you know what I enjoy doing just as much as exploring He said, “Excuse me, young ‘dillos, but could you help out the outdoors? I love hanging out with my family at our Nineband an old ? I was too busy looking for food and got myself Family Reunions. Once a year, we all travel from our homes stuck in this muddy hole. I just need a little push back into the in different parts of Texas and spend a long weekend at a fun deeper water before this puddle dries up.” and relaxing place. This year, we met up at Lake Corpus Christi My cousin Nate laughed and replied, “Sure we can help State Park and had grasshopper roasts, mud baths, and digging you, Mr. Catfish, but do you always dine in the mud? That’s contests. My playful cousins, Nate and Neil O’Dillo, were so sure gross. And why are you called CAT-fish? Do you purr?” that one of them would win the contests that they had blue The catfish chuckled and his long ‘whiskers’ quivered. “Why ribbons made before they even arrived. yes, I tend to find my food near the bottom of the lake. I use Many parts of Texas have these barbels to touch the mud and taste experienced continued drought Photo by Paul Budd the water for tasty morsels of fish. I guess conditions over the past years, (Wikimedia) I was too focused to realize how close to but Lake Corpus Christi remains a shore I was. And no, I don’t purr.” popular vacation spot for camping, “Since we are good diggers,” Neil said, swimming, picnicking, and fishing. “I’ll bet we can help by digging a trench This 21,000-acre lake is located 35 behind you. That way, some of the water miles northwest of the Gulf Coast willw fill it up and you can swim back out.” city of Corpus Christi and offers a “Well fry me up and call me dinner!” diverse ecological area with a said the catfish. “That’s a wonderful idea! mixture of brushland and marshes, You all should get blue ribbons for your mammals, and a variety of birds. teamwork.” When I arrived at my campsite near Nate and Neil smiled. As for me, I was the water, I noticed that the water glad we were able to help the old catfish. level of the lake had dropped However, I couldn’t help but wonder what because of the drought. I could see parts of the pier which are he meant by ‘touching and tasting’ the mud for usually underwater, the boat ramp was completely exposed, food. As soon as I get back home, I am and there were muddy pits along the shoreline where the going to learn all I can about how effects of the drought have uncovered the soft lake bottom. catfish find food… and why they’re Nate and Neil showed up and we talked about how nice called CAT-fish. it would be to take a mud bath before seeing the rest of our family. Just then, we caught a glimpse of movement near Goodbye ‘Purr’ Now! some shallow water. It was a fish! He looked like he was stuck in the mud and there was just enough water to cover his body. Nancy Nine-band

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____ Life Member $2,400 ____ President’s Council $1,000 ____ Corporate $635 ____ Patron $375 ____ Family $230 ____ Active $145 ____ Associate $50 ____ Student $20 ____ Youth $12 ____ Online $35 (ages 17-22) (ages 16 & under) All members receive a one year subscription to our monthly magazine, Texas Wildlife. Taste Test Games By Cara Bierschwale (Adapted from Neuroscience for Kids at http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chtaste.html) Do you and your friends have catfish sense? Catfish have poor eyesight, but their superior senses of taste and smell help in locating food while swimming through water. In this game, try to do the same and use only your senses of taste and smell to identify as many food flavors as you can. Game #1: Tasty Buds Game #2: The Nose Knows The whisker-like barbels around a catfish’s mouth house taste Catfish have chemoreceptors buds and are used to search for food in murky water. The taste along their bodies and buds on our tongues are, of course, important for detecting the olfactory receptors at the pits of taste (gustation) of food. See if different parts of your tongue their nostrils which allow them are most sensitive to different characteristics of food (salty, bitter, to “smell” chemicals in the sour, sweet). water and detect prey. Along with our tongues, our noses and Materials: sense of smell (olfaction) are -Salty water also responsible for detecting barbels -Sugary water and recognizing food flavors. by Grady Allen -Lemon juice -Unsweetened cocoa with water Materials: -Toothpicks -Blindfold -Jelly beans (bag of assorted flavors) Directions: Give each person a set of solutions and some -Baby food (several fruit and vegetable flavors with similar toothpicks. Dip a toothpick into one solution and lightly touch texture) the tongue on different areas (front, center, back, right side, left side). Repeat this procedure with each solution (it may help to Directions: Blindfold a friend and have him hold his nose. Give drink a bit of water in between tests). Are certain areas of your him a few different jelly beans, one at a time. Can he tell the tongue more sensitive to detecting the tastes of specific solutions, difference between the jelly bean flavors while holding his nose? or are all areas equally sensitive? Indicate on a drawing of the Try again using small spoonfuls of baby food. Take turns trying to tongue the areas that are most sensitive to the different tastes. identify flavors with and without the use of your noses. Compare your tongue drawings with each other. 2 puzzles.....mazes.....oh my! go ahead.....give it a try! Fishy Word-Find Directions: Find and circle the words listed. WORDS:

S W I M B L A D D E R A U CATFISH BLUE FRESHWATER NOCTURNAL FLATHEAD MADTOM D R O A D I P O S E F I N POPULAR SCALELESS A T R E T A W H S E R F O CHANNEL BULLHEAD GAFFTOPSAIL E F M A H S I F E M A G C GAMEFISH BARBELS ADIPOSE FIN H U B L A P R L L V W Q T L S L S E O N A E E A M U L R I B T T O T L L K A R U Q L F O F P H A U A D N word searches...... B H W L T F R E C P P T A S L E B R A B A S X E O L G H R R L G C D A O B M P C H A N N E L F R A U L T K L T P C B S H E I S X E

Having fun fishing by Grady Allen Name That Catfish! Directions: Match each of the following descriptions to a catfish. Use the physical characteristics listed and clues from the article, “Texas Catfish – A Freshwater Favorite,” for help to draw one line to the correct picture, then a second line to its common name. (See the answer key on page 6.)

Forked tail, longer anal fin with 1 more rays, largest freshwater AaTadpole Madtom sportfish in Texas

Small catfish, venomous glands 2 at the base of fin spines, lives Bb in muddy-bottomed lakes and streams Yellowish catfish, can weigh 3 over 100 pounds, lower jaw Cc projects beyond the upper jaw, prefer to eat live food Slightly-notched tail fin, dark 4 chin barbels, commonly fished Dd for in the Panhandle and East Black Bullhead Texas The most preferred catfish to 5 catch in Texas, forked tail, Ee smaller fish have dark spots Blue Catfish along the body (Images from commons.wikimedia.org)

3 corner

Gafftopsail catfish by In Texas, catfish rank second as the Grady Allen most popular freshwater gamefish, just behind largemouth bass. Catfish are known to be fun to catch, mainly by rod and reel or trotline, and many people find their meat delicious. Both freshwater and saltwater catfish exist in Texas waters, c but catching the freshwater species is preferred because they are easier to clean and tastier to eat. In addition, catfish are economically important in sportfishing, and some species are grown commercially on catfish farms for human consumption. A few freshwater species common to Texas and their distinguishing r Catfish farming by Grady Allen characteristics are described below: Texas Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) – “Spotted Cat, Willow Cat, Fiddler” This is the most Catfish... numerous catfish i species in North America and is A Freshwater the official state fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Favorite and Tennessee. Channel catfish by Russell Graves t They are also the most preferred catfish to catch in Texas and are most abundant By Cara BiBierschwale h l in large streams with some current and lakes with sandy or graveled bottoms. Channel catfish are olive-brown to slate-blue with a paler Named for the “feelers” near their mouths which resemble a cat’s whiskers, belly and have a distinctly forked tail. Numerous small, black spots are there are approximately 2,500 species of catfish and their relatives (Order typically present on younger fish and often disappear as the fish grows Siluriformes) worldwide, except in Antarctica. They also account for three- into a large adult. Their varied diet consists of insects, fish, mollusks, t , and even some plants. They grow to around 39 inches in quarters of all species of freshwater fish and vary in size and shape. The catfish species are a diverse group and have been remarkably successful in their length and 30 pounds, though some weighing over 40 pounds have “mud-grubbing” way of life. These nocturnal fish generally are predators or been caught and recorded. scavengers and their swim bladders enable them to live close to the bottom of the water. Their “feelers” are called barbels and are sensory structures used Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) – “Blue Cat, Humpback Blue” for touch and taste, which compensate for poor eyesight. In addition, most Blue catfish are the largest freshwater sportfish in Texas and the e do not have ordinary scales. Many have “naked skin,” but there a few species state record measured 58 inches in length and weighed a little over with bony plates covering them like armor. 121 pounds. Their coloration is silvery-blue overall, shading to white Freshwater (Family ) are native to North America and on the undersides. Like the include around 49 species of catfish, bullheads, madtoms, and blindcats. channel catfish, blue catfish They occur from the Rocky Mountains eastward, and from Canada down to have a forked tail and one Mexico and Guatemala. These elongated fish are scaleless, with broad flat species is commonly confused heads, 4 pairs of long barbels around a wide mouth, an adipose fin (for fat as the other, especially as r storage), and sharp, heavy spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins. Sharing large adults. One way to these features are the saltwater catfishes (Family ) living in the Atlantic, correctly identify the two is to Pacific, and Indian Oceans and the . These have 2-3 pairs of look closely at the anal fin – barbels, are commonly called “sea catfish,” and include the gafftopsail and the blue’s is long and straight Blue catfish by Grady Allen . with more rays, whereas the channel’s is rounded with less rays. These fish typically occupy large river systems with clearer waters, channels, and tributaries and may move upstream for cooler waters during summer or downstream for warmer waters during winter. Their diet mainly includes other fish and invertebrates. Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) – “Yellow Cat, Shovelhead, Mud Cat, Opelousa” As the name suggests, these large catfish have broad, flat heads and are typically yellow to light brown in color with dark mottling. Unlike other catfish, the lower jaw projects beyond the upper jaw and is a trait distinguishing them from the similar-looking bullhead catfish. Their tail fins are not forked as in the channel and blue catfish, but only slightly notched with a white tip on the upper lobe (in smaller individuals). They can reach a length of 3 to 4 feet and can exceed 100 pounds in weight. Flatheads prefer habitats in deep pools of streams and rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and canals where the water is murky and there is little to no current. They are more predatory than the other species and prey mainly on live crawfish and fish, including bass, carp, sunfish, and even other catfish. Flathead catfish by Grady Allen Black Bullhead ( melas) – “Polliwog, Chucklehead” The bullhead catfishes, including the yellow and brown species, are not generally considered important gamefish in Texas but are commonly fished for in the Panhandle and East Texas. They grow to around 15 inches and 2 pounds, though the largest specimen reported in Texas was just over 5 pounds. They are uniformly black or dark olive-colored along the back and sides and pale or white below. These catfish have dark chin barbels and also a slightly-notched tail fin. Habitat includes silty waters with muddy bottoms, such as lakes, ponds, and swamps. Black bullhead by Russell Graves Tadpole Madtom (Noturus gyrinus) The madtom group is the most species-rich in North America, but they do not grow large enough to attract interest from Texas anglers. They grow only to about 3 to 4 inches long and are noted for venomous glands at the base of their sharp fin spines. Madtoms have a long, fleshy fin on the back that appears to merge with the upper lobe of the rounded tail, resembling the look of a tadpole. They are dark brown to reddish in color and inhabit muddy-bottomed, well-vegetated lakes, ponds, and sluggish streams.

Sources: Burnie, David and Don E. Wilson. . New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc., 2001. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Freshwater Catfish in Texas. TPWD, 2012. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_t3200_0236.pdf Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Wildlife Fact Sheets. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species Whitfield, Dr. Philip. The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of . Great Britain: Marshall Publishing, 1998.

6

Channel catfish by Grady Allen Grady by catfish Channel

Image adapted from www.supercoloring.com from adapted Image

4 pairs of barbels of pairs 4 undersides

Silvery-white Silvery-white

Pelvic fin Pelvic

Anal fin Anal

Pectoral fin Pectoral

(Ictalurus punctatus) (Ictalurus

Catfish

Channel Channel

Adipose fin Adipose

Caudal (tail) fin (tail) Caudal

on the back and sides and back the on along the body the along

Dark spots scattered scattered spots Dark Olive brown to slate blue blue slate to brown Olive

Dorsal fin Dorsal Color Me Color

Name That Catfish! Answer Key: 1-E-e; 2-D-a; 3-A-b; 4-C-d; 5-B-c

hearing?

and inner ear to enhance their sense of of sense their enhance to ear inner and

small bones linking the swim bladder bladder swim the linking bones small

by Grady Allen Grady by

the Weberian apparatus, a chain of of chain a apparatus, Weberian the Flathead catfish catfish Flathead

…catfish have an anatomical feature called called feature anatomical an have …catfish

catfish?”

to recognize “the value of farm-raised farm-raised of value “the recognize to

National Catfish Day on June 25, 1987 1987 25, June on Day Catfish National

… President Ronald Reagan established established Reagan Ronald President …

places in Texas? in places

ranked highest as the best catfishing catfishing best the as highest ranked

Lake Texoma and the Trinity River are are River Trinity the and Texoma Lake

… according to Fishhound Fishing Reports, Reports, Fishing Fishhound to according …

hatch.

won’t eat anything until after the eggs eggs the after until anything eat won’t

holding them inside their mouths and and mouths their inside them holding

males may even keep the eggs safe by by safe eggs the keep even may males

eggs, the male guards the nest? Other Other nest? the guards male the eggs,

…after the female channel catfish lays her her lays catfish channel female the …after

to catfish than to other eels? other to than catfish to

…electric eels are considered closer relatives relatives closer considered are eels …electric

Did you know... you Did Large channel catfish by Grady Allen Grady by catfish channel Large The Nightshade Family

Article and Photos By Rose Cooper

The nightshades belong to the family Solanaceae. Texas has approximately 65 native species in this family. It is said that the family name comes from the Greek word meaning “solace” or “quieting”. This description refers to how the chemical properties of a few plants in this family can affect those that may ingest it. Nightshades in other parts of the world have been used to make pharmaceuticals, however the majority of Texas nightshades are considered poisonous. The Family Traits Just like your family, plant families have similar characteristics which they share. Your family may have the same color hair or eyes, while plant families share the same shape of flower or have leaves that look the same. Flowers of the nightshade family are actinomorphic. Now that’s a big word, but let’s break it down. “Actin” means radiating, while “morph” refers to having a shape or form. So actinomorphic simply means to have a shape or form that is radiating, similar to the sun. Another term used for the shape of the nightshade flowers is radially symmetrical. Imagine the flower in the shape of a pie. If you were to cut this “flower” pie into the same number of slices as there are petals, each slice would resemble the next slice. Nightshades would have five pieces of “flower” pie, since they have five petals. These petals are fused together on the sides which can make the shape of the flower look like a trumpet, a tube, a bell, or a star. Nightshade flowers can be white, yellow, blue, purple, or green (yes, green like their leaves). The leaf shapes of the nightshade family can vary, but most are arranged in an alternate pattern on the stem. This means that one leaf is attached to a stem on one side and another leaf is attached to the stem on another side, but higher or lower on the stem, not at the same height as the first leaf.

Glycoalkaloids = Poisonous Most of the plants in the Texas nightshade family are harmful and can cause illness and death if eaten by humans or livestock. This is due to a chemical found in the plant called solanine, which is a glycoalkaloid. Glycoalkaloids are the plants natural defense mechanism against insects and disease. This poison can be found in all parts of the plant, including the leaves and the fruits. In cattle and other livestock, the glycoalkaloids affect the digestive tract and the nervous system, causing nausea, abdominal pain and even paralysis. The Potato Family The family of Solanaceae is also called the potato family. That’s right! Potatoes come from this family as well as some other plants that we eat on a regular basis. Have you ever eaten a tomato, eggplant, sweet pepper or jalepeño? All of these plants come from the nightshade family. So, you might be wondering why we don’t get sick from these plants when we eat them. Well, that is because these plants have a very small amount of glycoalkaloids. Potatoes, however, have a higher amount of glycoalkaloids in them if they have started to sprout or if their skin has become green. It is advised to avoid these types of potatoes. The only Texas species of nightshade that is not harmful to eat is the chile pequín, but that depends on who is eating it, since they are spicier than a jalepeño. 7 WildlifeWildlife isis inin ourour nature.nature.

You may know the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo hosts one of the most prestigious professional rodeos in the world. You may also know we have one of the world’s largest junior livestock shows and that we support agriculture and education to develop the youth of Texas. But did you know that we encourage responsible management and the use of our beautiful Texas wildlife and natural resources through the Texas Wildlife Expo? Through interactive educational exhibits and hands-on demonstrations that make learning fun for the entire family, you’ll see that our commitment to Texas youth just comes natural.

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