A sleek silvery-purple fish with an extravagant sail-like dorsal fin. Once widespread in upper Michigan and Montana, the lower-48 native populations have been reduced to a tiny relict in Montana's Big Hole River.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The Arctic grayling is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family Salmonidae. T. arcticus is widespread throughout the Arctic and Pacific drainages in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, as well as the upper Missouri River drainage in Montana. In the U.S. state of Arizona, an introduced population is found in the Lee Valley and other lakes in the White Mountains. They were also stocked at Toppings Lake by the Teton Range and in lakes in the high Uinta Mountains in Utah, as well as alpine lakes of the Boulder Mountains (Idaho) in central Idaho.
Source: Wikipedia — Arctic grayling Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Slender silvery fish with sail-like dorsal fin.
Similar species. Trout species (no large dorsal sail).
Voice. Silent.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, surface insects.
Behavior. Among the most cold-adapted US salmonids. Sails-like dorsal fin makes it instantly recognizable.
§ Range
Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Montana (relict)
§ Habitat
Cold clear rivers, alpine lakes
§ Threats
Stream warming, habitat loss, hybridization with stocked grayling, climate change.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the arctic grayling is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support Big Hole River grayling restoration. Avoid stocking non-local grayling. Skip catch-and-keep in native range.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Arctic grayling
- www.fws.gov — authoritative profile of Thymallus arcticus
- IUCN Red List · taxon 62168
- iNaturalist · taxon 49659
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Thymallus arcticus
§ Sources cited
- USFWS
- Trout Unlimited
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List 2010
