Snail darter
| Snail darter | |
|---|---|
| File:Snail darter.jpg | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | P. tanasi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Percina tanasi Etnier, 1976
| |
The snail darter is a small (up to 9 cm long) fish native to waters of East Tennessee. It is a variety of darter (fish) which feeds primarily on aquatic snails.
The snail darter was declared an endangered species in 1975, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. By the 1980s it was clear that the fish was not in fact endangered and it was removed from the list of endangered species maintained by the US Government.
Because of the 1970s controversy around this fish, "snail darter" became a term that is shorthand as a reference to environmental extremism. This is based on the idea that a small 9 cm fish that nobody had ever heard was used as a reason not to complete the $100 million dollar Tellico Dam. This is after the money had been spent and the dam was complete--they just needed to close the gates. The gates of the dam were ultimately closed, but it took a special act of congress to overcome the ESA empowered snail darter.
External links
Under construction...
Footnotes
Under construction...
References
- Template:IUCN2006 Listed as Vulnerable (VU D2 v2.3)
See also
 | This fish-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |