Status: Rare  (Polyodon spathula)   Paddlefish are one of the
largest, native freshwater fishes in North America, attaining
lengths of more than six feet (1.8 m) and weights of more than
100 pounds (45.5 kg). In South Dakota, a paddlefish weighing
more than 140 pounds (63.6 kg) was caught and released by South
Dakota Game, Fish and Parks fisheries research biologists.
Paddlefish (also called spoonbill) are an ancient creature
getting their name from the paddle-shaped rostrum or bill, that
is often up to one-third their entire body length. Paddlefish
have a large, toothless mouth on the underside of their head and
skin without scales, except for a patch near the tail fin.   The
tail is deeply forked with the upper lobe longer than the lower.
Their skeleton is mostly cartilage, with the most bone-like
material found in the head. Adult paddlefish have extremely
small eyes in proportion to their body size. Paddlefish color
varies from bluish-gray to almost black on their dorsal surface
to white on their ventral s