Shishamo
Kingdom
Phylum
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Spirinchus lanceolatus
Length
70
28
cminch
cm inch 

Shishamo (柳葉魚, literally "Willow Leaf Fish"), or Spirinchus lanceolatus, is an anadromous fish (smelt) native to Hokkaido, Japan.

Animal name origin

The fish is said to resemble a willow leaf, and its Japanese name reflects this; shishamo, is derived from the Ainu name for the same fish, susam, which is supposed to be derived from a compound of Ainu susu "willow" + ham "leaf", hence its name in Chinese characters (柳葉魚 jukujikun, where the characters have no phonetic relation to the word).

Appearance

This fish averages 15 centimeters in length, with a maximum recorded length of 70 cm. It is generally dark on the back with a silver-white underside.

Geography

Countries

References

1. Shishamo Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shishamo

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