View original imageThis is an original generative reconstruction, not a photograph or scientific plate.
98 / Recently extinct
Chinese Paddlefish
Psephurus gladius
One of the world’s largest freshwater fish migrated the length of the Yangtze.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- Prehistory–about 2005–2010
- Final stage
- Early 21st century
- Geographic range
- Yangtze River main stem · East China Sea coast
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Chinese Paddlefish?
This archive records Chinese Paddlefish under the scientific name Psephurus gladius, with an age of Prehistory–about 2005–2010 and a range of Yangtze River main stem · East China Sea coast. One of the world’s largest freshwater fish migrated the length of the Yangtze.
Chinese paddlefish used a long sensitive rostrum to detect prey and moved between lower river reaches and upstream spawning grounds. No confirmed individual has been recorded since the early 2000s.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Chinese Paddlefish at a glance
- Scientific name
- Psephurus gladius
- Age
- Prehistory–about 2005–2010
- Last recorded stage
- Early 21st century
- Known range
- Yangtze River main stem · East China Sea coast
- Broad group
- fish
- Archive era
- Recently extinct
- Habitat signals
- Ocean
- Documented regions
- Asia
03 / ANATOMY
How was Chinese Paddlefish built?
Overall body plan
One of the world’s largest freshwater fish migrated the length of the Yangtze.
Skull, jaws and feeding surfaces
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Chinese Paddlefish, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Fins and swimming body
Chinese paddlefish used a long sensitive rostrum to detect prey and moved between lower river reaches and upstream spawning grounds. No confirmed individual has been recorded since the early 2000s.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Chinese Paddlefish.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Chinese Paddlefish live?
Chinese paddlefish used a long sensitive rostrum to detect prey and moved between lower river reaches and upstream spawning grounds. No confirmed individual has been recorded since the early 2000s. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on water depth, current, oxygen, prey and nursery habitat. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Chinese Paddlefish live?
This archive currently lists Prehistory–about 2005–2010; Yangtze River main stem · East China Sea coast. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Yangtze River main stem · East China Sea coast. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
Prehistory–about 2005–2010, with the final recorded stage listed as Early 21st century. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels Ocean. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Chinese Paddlefish?
Primary record
Historical catches, specimens, surveys, telemetry attempts and environmental records chart the loss.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Chinese Paddlefish within Prehistory–about 2005–2010 and Yangtze River main stem · East China Sea coast. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Chinese Paddlefish disappear?
Dams blocked migration while overfishing, shipping and habitat degradation reduced the remaining population.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Chinese Paddlefish FAQ
What was Chinese Paddlefish?
This archive records Chinese Paddlefish under the scientific name Psephurus gladius, with an age of Prehistory–about 2005–2010. One of the world’s largest freshwater fish migrated the length of the Yangtze.
When did Chinese Paddlefish live?
The current archive range is Prehistory–about 2005–2010; its youngest recorded stage is Early 21st century.
Where was Chinese Paddlefish found?
The archive currently lists Yangtze River main stem · East China Sea coast. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Chinese Paddlefish?
Historical catches, specimens, surveys, telemetry attempts and environmental records chart the loss.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS