What animals live in the Mississippi river?

Question

Only in the river, not around it...

Answer 1

I'll take "Catfish" for $200, Alex.

Answer 2

Within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, the river sees enormous numbers of migrating ducks, geese and warblers. Bald eagles flock to unfrozen sections of the river each winter, and many stay year-round with more than a dozen pairs nesting within the park. Herons, egrets and cormorants nest in several rookeries in the corridor and can regularly be seen fishing along the rivers edge. Over 200 species of fish are found along the length of the Mississippi, more than any other river system in North America. Some of the river’s fish have remained unchanged since the age of the dinosaurs.

A variety of reptiles and amphibians inhabit this stretch of river. From the endangered Blanding’s Turtle to the fox snake, salamander and leopard frog, these populations are sensitive to changes in habitat quality and their populations can be significantly affected by chemical pollutants and atmospheric warming. A paddlers on the river will see turtles sunning on logs, as well as snakes warming themselves on rocky or sandy beaches. At night the sound of calling frogs can be heard in lowlands and floodplain forests.

Mussels are an important indicator of river health, especially water quality. Once largely extirpated, water quality improvements in recent decades has resulted in the return of many native mussel species. One endangered species, the Higgins Eye, has been reintroduced to this area and has been successfully reproducing. Today this stretch of river, once nearly a dead zone, may serve as one of the last big river mussel refuges in the Midwestern United States.  

Mammals thrive in large numbers near the river. Whitetail deer, bats and raccoons are found throughout the river corridor, while other species such as river otter, beaver, and fox are found in scattered pockets within the corridor

Answer 3

The areas along the river and the river itself support a great variety of plants and wildlife.  Because there is an abundance of natural cover, a good amount of isolation, and food provided by plants such as sedges, pondweeds, and millets, a number of birds flock to the area, especially waterfowl.  An estimated eight million ducks, geese, and swans winter in the lower portion of the river, and many more birds use it in their route to Latin America.

The river itself is home to a number of different fish.  For example, the most important vareties of fish include several types of catfish, which are used commerically.  There are also walleyes and suckers, which are abundant in the middle and lower river and provide the basis for the sport-fishing industry.

Alligators are now becoming rare in the river, only being found in the most isolated backwaters. Shrimp and crab fisheries of the waters are in decline.