During the last Ice Age most of Canada and the northern United States would have been covered in a sheet of ice while the American southwest would have been lush, wet, and cool. A far cry from the comparatively hot, dry, and parched land of the modern southwest. It was the warming climate at the end of the Ice Age that would alter much of the southwest but small islands of temperate climates and rich biodiversity are still present in high elevation mountain ranges and wetlands.
Brand: Marsh Education
Bonytail Chub (Marsh Education by Safari Ltd.)
Today’s review concludes our series of reviews on the Marsh Education fish figures, commissioned by the Marsh & Associates Native Fish Lab and produced by Safari Ltd. I didn’t necessarily save the best for last, but I did accidentally save perhaps the most endangered for last. The bonytail chub (Gila elegans) is native to the Colorado River Basin in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah.
Colorado Pikeminnow (Marsh Education by Safari Ltd.)
To the layman, minnow is a catchall term for any small fish, including the baby fish of larger species. But scientifically, a minnow is a specific kind of fish belonging to the families Cyprinidae and Leucisidae (which until recently was lumped together with the Cyprinidae family) and the size of the fish is not at all a factor.
Desert Pupfish (Marsh Education by Safari Ltd.)
In my review of the Apache trout, I discussed the diversity of trout in the American west that was brought about by climate change at the end of the last Ice Age. But trout weren’t the only fishes effected by this sudden change in climate. The American southwest is also home to numerous species of pupfish in the Cyprinodon genus.
Loach Minnow (Marsh Education by Safari Ltd.)
I promise I will eventually not write about a fish…but today will not be that day. Instead, I’m going to write about a really interesting fish, and a really unusual–and rare–figure produced to represent it (spoiler, it’s in the title!). I am speaking of course about the Safari Ltd Loach Minnow, produced for Marsh & Associates LLC (as part of their Marsh Education program).
Razorback Sucker (Marsh Education by Safari Ltd.)
It is my great pleasure today to introduce my readers to one of my holy grail collectibles, the razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) by Safari Ltd. This figure is one of a set of 6 produced by Safari Ltd. for the Marsh & Associates Native Fish Lab, all of which represent endangered fishes native to Arizona, USA.