Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus)

The Striped Mullet or Mugil cephalus is a fish from the Mugilidae family which consists of about 70 different species.  Striped Mullet fish are bluish gray or green along the back with silver on the sides and a white underbelly.  They have a series of black horizontal bars that run down their bodies with a small mouth and blunt nose.

Also known as the Black Mullet, Sea Mullet and Fatback, this fish can grow to about 3' in length and and weigh up to 12lbs.  These fish can survive in both freshwater and saltwater and are found in the Pacific Ocean and many warm seas throughout the world.

Striped Mullet are schooling fish that are often seen leaping out of the water.  These fish will ingest mud from the bottom and work it through their gill rakers and teeth, filtering out the plant and animal material and spitting out the rest.  They are said to have gizzard-like stomachs for grinding food up.  You can check out a large group of Striped Mullet in the video below.      

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Shorthead Redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum)

The Shorthead Redhorse or Moxostoma macrolepidotum is a freshwater fish that is found in North America in places east of the Rocky Mountains and into places of Canada. This fish has a red tail fin and a red outline on its dorsal fin. This fish is part of the sucker family so it is often found on the bottom feeding on mollusks, insects, plant matter and crustaceans.

The Shorthead Redhorse goes by a few different names including Shorthead Mullet, Bigscale Sucker, Common Mullet, Redfin, Common Redhorse, Des Moines Plunger, Mullet, Northern Redhorse, Red Sucker and the Redhorse Mullet. These fish have a slender body that can grow to about 24" and weigh up to 8lbs. They have large coarse scales that cover their bodies. They can be distinguished from other suckers by these large scales and their bright red tail.

Spawning occurs in April around rubble or gravel and once the eggs are laid they are not guarded. They will hatch in about 5 days. These fish are edible, but are not considered to be the highest of quality.  You can check out a close relative of this fish the Greater Redhorse (Moxostoma valenciennesi) below in the video. 

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