Sacramento Sucker

The Sacramento sucker (Catostomus occidentalis) is native to many drainages from central California up to a small portion of the Pit River drainage in south-central Oregon. Younger fish are greyish-brown with darker upper bodies and splotches on their sides. Adults have green to brown backs and yellow to white colored bellies, with large and pronounced scales all over. During spawning season, both males and females develop a dark red stripe along their side and extending into their caudal fins during spawning. Sacramento suckers mainly feed on algae, diatoms, detritus, and invertebrates attached to substrates along the bottom using the specialized papillae (small bumps) on their lips to identify food. With plentiful populations in the areas they inhabit, larval Sacramento suckers serve as a valuable food source for fall-run juvenile Chinook salmon during their downstream migration. 

Fun fact:  Sacramento suckers are not a particularly popular food fish today, but are actually safe to eat! In fact, they were a historically important harvest species for the Ajumawi Tribe of the Pit River.