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<br />U.S. FISH AND VILDLIFE SERVICE <br /> <br /> <br />Fish & Wildlife Service <br />For more information contact: <br />Public Affairs <br />U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <br />Region 6 <br />P.O. Box 254B6. DFC <br />Denver, CO 80225 303-236-7904 <br /> <br />Humpback chub (GIla cypha) <br /> <br /> <br />20 Inches <br /> <br />Status: <br />o listed as endangered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1964: given full protection under the Endangered <br />Species Act of 1973 <br />o Endangered under .Colorado law since 1976 <br />o listed as "protected" in Utah since 1973 <br />o On Arizona list 01 threatened and endangered species since 1975 <br />o Humpback Chub Recovery Plan approved August 22. 1979; first revision May 15, 1984; second revision <br />September 19. 1990 <br /> <br />Descriotion: <br />The pronounced hump behind its head gives the humpback chub a striking, unusual appearance. A member of <br />the minnow family, the humpback chub has a brown or olive-colored back and silver sides, small eyes and a long <br />snout that over hangs its jaw. It can grow to nearly 20 inches and may survive more than 30 years in the wild. <br /> <br />The Humpback chub is thought to have evolved about 10.000 years ago. Humpback chub populations in the <br />little Colorado River and at Black Rocks in the Colorado River appear relatively stable iA number of fish, but <br />declines have been apparent in other locations. <br /> <br />Distribution: <br />Historically, the humpback chub inhabited portions of the Colorado River and four of its tributaries: the Green. <br />Vampa, White and little Colorado rivers. Now, the largest known populations are in the Uttle Colorado River in <br />the Grand Canyon. where there may up to 10,000 fish. and in the Colorado River near the Colorado/Utah .bordef. <br />Smaller numbers have been found in the Vampa and Green rivers in Dinosaur National Monument. Desolation and <br />Gray canyons on the Green river in Utah. Cataract Canyon .on the Colorado River in Utah and the Colorado River <br />in Arizona. <br /> <br />Habitat: <br />Humpback chub spawn soon after the highest spring flows ( May-July) when water temperatures approach 20 <br />degree Celsius. Generally, the species is associated with boulder-strewn canyons, travertine dams. pools. <br />eddies. shorelines. a'1~ backwaters. <br />