Amia calva (Bowfin) is native to the St.Lawrence-Great Lakes, Mississippi-Gulf and southeastern US Atlantic basins from Quebec to Minnesota. and south to the Colorado River, Texas. It is regarded as native in the the southern part of the Chesapeake Basin, in the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James River systems. It is introduced in the Susquehanna River and Upper Bay tributaries. Further north, A. calva has been introduced in the Delaware,, Hudson, and Connecticut Rivers. Amia calva has been sparingly stocked outside its native range, in order to support a limited sport fishery and as a predator, to thin out stunted stocks of sunfish. Currently, it has been introduced to drainages outside its native range in 16 states, in the eastern and midwestern US. Bowfins are large, predatory fishes, up to 1000 mm in length, They can survive low dissolved oxygen by air breathing, and can aestivate in mud for at least 1 month after a pond dries up. Typical habitats are swamps, sloughs, pools and backwaters of lowland streams. Larvae are nonfeeding until the yolk-sac is resorbed. Juveniles feed on insects, small crustaceans, and small fish. Adults are predators on fishes and crayfishes. They are not major game fishes, but they play a role as predators on fast-breeding smaller fishes.