My name is Tyler and the Thicktail Chub is my animal. The Thicktail Chub is extinct. It lived in the lowlands and backwaters of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, in California. It was one of the most common fish in California. In the 20th century it comprised over 40% of the fish population in the Sacramento river.

The thicktail chub was a favored food for some indians of Clear Lake and Central Valley. The thicktail chub has a heavy stomach and a cone-shaped head. It got its name from its thick tail. The chub has a greenish-brown to a purplish-black color, and a yellowish belly. It could reach a length of ten inches. Scientists don't know a lot about its behavior. It probably was a carnivore and ate small fish and invertebrates. It might have eaten a fish like a guppie.

The primary cause of extinction was the use of Central Valley agriculture. Most of the Thicktailed Chubs habitat was destroyed by sloughs, marshes,dam-building, and water diversion for irrigation. All this resulted in the sluggish water the fish preferred. It became extinct in the late 1950's.
by Tyler, Horace Mann Elementary School, Oak Park, IL, USA