Spring Pygmy Sunfish

The entire range of the endemic spring pygmy sunfish (Elassoma alabamae) is restricted to two spring systems on the northern side of the Tennessee River in north Alabama. Most of its life cycle is spent in dense concentrations of submerged aquatic vegetation. Adults of this small (1 to 1.5 inches) fish spawn one year after hatching and they die shortly thereafter.

Courtesy of the Geological Survey of Alabama