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Orthodon
The Sacramento blackfish (''Orthodon microlepidotus'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belongingto the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, chubs, Eurasian minnows and related fishes. This species is endemic to central California. It is the only member of the monospecific genus ''Orthodon''. Taxonomy ''Orthodon microlepidotus,'' the scientific name for the Sacramento blackfish, refers to the fish's straight teeth (''Orthodon'') and its distinctly small scales (''microlepidotus''). The ''Orthodon'' genus is monotypical, making the blackfish the sole member of the genus and a generally unvaried species. Despite its unique characteristics, the blackfish has been recorded reproducing hybrids with the hitch and Tui chub, members of the blackfish's subfamily Leuciscinae also found in California. In addition to the extant ''O. microlepidotus'', two extinct species are known in †'' O. hadrognathus'' Smith, 1975 from the Pliocene-aged Glenns Ferry Formation of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Miocene
The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million years ago) to 5.333 Ma. The evolution of ''Homo'' The gibbons (family Hylobatidae) and orangutans (genus ''Pongo'') were the first groups to split from the line leading to the hominins, including humans, then gorillas (genus ''Gorilla''), and finally chimpanzees and bonobos (genus ''Pan (genus), Pan''). The splitting date between hominin and chimpanzee lineages is placed by some between 4 and 8 million years ago, that is, during the Late Miocene. References External links GeoWhen Database - Late Miocene Miocene, .03 Miocene geochronology, 03 Messinian, * Tortonian, * {{geochronology-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pelvic Fin
Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods, which evolved from lobe-finned fish during the Middle Devonian. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two endochondrally-derived bony girdles attached to bony radials. Dermal fin rays ( lepidotrichia) are positioned distally from the radials. There are three pairs of muscles each on the dorsal and ventral side of the pelvic fin girdle that abduct and adduct the fin from the body. Pelvic fin structures can be extremely specialized in actinopterygians. Gobiids and lumpsuckers modify their pelvic fins into a sucker disk that allow them to adhere to the substrate or climb structures, such as waterfalls. In priapiumfish, males have modified their pelvic structures into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San Francisco, San Jose, California, San Jose, and Oakland, California, Oakland. The San Francisco Bay drains water from approximately 40 percent of California. Water from the Sacramento River, Sacramento and San Joaquin River, San Joaquin rivers, and from the Sierra Nevada mountains, flow into Suisun Bay, which then travels through the Carquinez Strait to meet with the Napa River at the entrance to San Pablo Bay, which connects at its south end to San Francisco Bay. It then connects to the Pacific Ocean via the Golden Gate strait. However, this entire group of interconnected bays is often called the ''San Francisco Bay''. The bay was designated a Ramsar Convention, Ramsar Wetland of International Importance on February 2, 2013, and the Port ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salinas River (California)
The Salinas River ( Rumsen: ''ua kot taiauačorx'') is the longest river of the Central Coast region of California, running and draining . It flows north-northwest and drains the Salinas Valley that slices through the central California Coast Ranges south of Monterey Bay. The river begins in southern San Luis Obispo County, originating in the Los Machos Hills of the Los Padres National Forest. From there, the river flows north into Monterey County, eventually making its way to connect with the Monterey Bay, part of the Pacific Ocean, approximately south of Moss Landing. The river is a wildlife corridor, and provides the principal source of water from its reservoirs and tributaries for the farms and vineyards of the valley. Hydrology In 1769, when the river was first discovered by non-Native peoples via the Portola expedition, it was reported by them as being a "river watering a luxuriant plain" filled with fish weighing . As of the end of 2016, the river had been transfor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pajaro River
The Pajaro River (''pájaro'' is ''bird'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a U.S. river in the Central Coast (California), Central Coast region of California, forming part of the border between San Benito County, California, San Benito and Santa Clara County, California, Santa Clara Counties, the entire border between San Benito and Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, and the entire border between Santa Cruz and Monterey County, California, Monterey County. Flowing roughly east to west, the river empties into Monterey Bay, west of Watsonville, California. History The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolà expedition, camped near the river for two nights, in the vicinity of today's community of Watsonville, California, Watsonville, on October 8–9, 1769. The party continued north the next day toward Santa Cruz. Expedition soldiers called it "Pajaro" (meaning "bird" in Spanish). Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, traveling with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clear Lake (California)
Clear Lake (Pomo: ''Lypoyomi'') is a natural freshwater lake in Lake County, California, Lake County in the U.S. state of California, north of Napa County, California, Napa County and San Francisco. It is the largest natural freshwater lake wholly within the state, with of surface area. (Lake Tahoe is partially in Nevada.) It has an age of nearly 500,000 years. It is the latest lake to occupy a site with a history of lakes stretching back at least 2,500,000 years. Clear Lake supports large populations of largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, carp and catfish. Two-thirds of the fish caught in Clear Lake are largemouth bass, with a record of . In addition to fish, there is abundant wildlife within the Clear Lake basin. There are year-round populations of ducks, pelicans, grebes, blue herons, egrets, osprey, and bald eagles, and the basin supports sizable populations of deer, bear, mountain lion, raccoon and other animals. The expansive, warm water of Clear Lake makes it popular ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River ( ; ) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. An important source of irrigation water as well as a wildlife corridor, the San Joaquin is among the most heavily dammed and diverted of California's rivers. People have inhabited the San Joaquin Valley for more than 8,000 years, and it was one of the major population centers of pre-Columbian California. Starting in the late 18th century, successive waves of explorers then settlers, mainly Spanish and American, emigrated to the San Joaquin basin. When Spain colonized the area, they sent soldiers from Mexico, who were usually of mixed native Mexican and Spanish birth, led by Spanish officers. Franciscan missionaries from Spain came with expeditions to evangelize the natives by teaching them about the Catholi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River () is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay. The river drains about in 19 California County (United States), counties, mostly within the fertile agricultural region bounded by the California Coast Ranges, Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada known as the Sacramento Valley, but also extending as far as the volcanic plateaus of Northeastern California. Historically, its watershed has reached as far north as south-central Oregon where the now, primarily, endorheic basin, endorheic (closed) Goose Lake (Oregon-California), Goose Lake rarely experiences southerly outflow into the Pit River, the most northerly tributary of the Sacramento. The Sacramento and its wide natural floodplain were once abundant in fish and other aquatic creatures, notably one of the southernm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oxbow Lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether or not it is cut off from the main stream. It takes its name from an oxbow which is part of a harness for oxen to pull a plough or cart. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called ''resaca (channel), resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are called billabongs. Geology An oxbow lake forms when a meandering river erodes through the neck of one of its meanders. This takes place because meanders tend to grow and become more curved over time. The river then follows a shorter course that bypasses the meander. The entrances to the abandoned meander eventually silt up, forming an oxbow lake. Oxbow lakes are stillwater lakes, with no current flowing through them, which causes the lake bed to gradually accumulate silt, becoming a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Valley (California)
The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California, United States. It is wide and runs approximately from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast. It covers approximately , about 11% of California's land area. The valley is bounded by the California Coast Ranges, Coast Ranges to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east. The Central Valley is a region known for its agricultural productivity. It provides a large share of the food produced in California, which provides more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. More than of the valley are irrigated via reservoirs and canals. The valley hosts many cities, including the state capital Sacramento, California, Sacramento, as well as Redding, California, Redding, Chico, California, Chico, Yuba City, California, Yuba City, Woodland, California, Woodland, Davis, California, Davis, Stockton, California, Stockton, M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
