Get to know bigmouth buffalo: identifying features, habitat, food, and life cycle.
Identification & habitat
- Scientific name: Ictiobus cyprinellus; native sucker family.
- Mouth: Large, forward-facing and angled, unlike the low-set mouths of other buffalo.
- Body: Deep, with a long sickle-shaped dorsal fin.
- Color: Brown to dark, often with coppery reflections.
- No carp whiskers: Lacks common carp's mouth barbels.
- Habitat: Deep river pools, lowland lakes, and impoundments.
- Tolerance: Handles turbid water and still-water habitats.
Food & behavior
- Schooling: Often groups in midwater or near the bottom.
- Food: Small crustaceans and other organisms filtered with fine gill rakers.
Spawning, growth & lifespan
- Spawning: Adhesive eggs deposited over submerged vegetation and objects.
- Century fish: Modern studies document individuals over 100 years old.
- Updated finding: A 2025 study reports a 148-year lifespan.
- Recruitment: Some studied populations go decades without strong replacement generations.
Sources & further reading
Research checked October 18, 2026. Common sizes and ages are examples rather than hard limits. Missouri spawning dates are regional unless another location is named. Consult the current local fishing rules for the water you plan to fish.