The white sucker is a North American species found in freshwater
lakes and streams from Labrador south to Georgia, west to
Colorado and north through Alberta and British Columbia to the
MacKenzie River delta. In Canada, it is absent from
Newfoundland, eastern Labrador, Prince Edward Island,
Southwestern British Columbia, and much of the far north. The
white sucker has the following characteristics: - a torpedo-
shaped fish distinguished by its sucker-like mouth, which is
located on the underside of its blunt, rounded snout; its mouth
has thick lips covered with little fleshy bumps (papillae); -
its colour varies from grey to coppery brown to almost black on
the back and upper sides, becoming lighter on the lower sides to
white on the belly; - during spawning, the darkness on the back
intensifies and the body becomes more golden in colour; -
spawning males develop coarse bumps (nuptial tubercles) on the
anal fin and lower tail (caudal) fin; - it has relatively large
scales, one dorsal fin, no adipose fin and th