The living habits and geographical distribution of the crocodile turtle (one of the four famous fres

Culter alburnus belongs to the order Cypriniformes, family Cyprinidae, subfamily Culter, and genus Culter. Commonly known as: big white fish, cocked shell, cocked white fish, cocked bream. English name: Topmouth culter.

The body is long, very flat on the sides, the back of the head is straight, the back of the head is ridged, and the back of the body is nearly straight. The mouth is superior, the lower jaw is thick and upward, and the oral cleft is almost vertical. The eyes are large and located on the lower side of the head. The ends of the hypopharyngeal teeth are hook-shaped. There is a ventral rib between the base of the pelvic fin and the anus; the dorsal fin has strong and smooth hard spines; the caudal fin is bifurcated, and the lower lobe is slightly longer than the upper lobe. The back of the body is slightly bluish gray, the sides are silvery white, and each fin is grayish black.

They usually live in the middle and upper layers of running water and large water bodies. They swim quickly and are good at jumping. It is a ferocious fish that feeds on small fish. Female fish reach sexual maturity at the age of 3, and male fish reach maturity at the age of 2. The broodstock fish gather in groups in slow-flowing river bays or shallow water areas of lakes for breeding activities from June to August. After spawning, most of them enter lakes to feed or fatten in slow-flow areas of river bays. Young fish like to inhabit the coastal waters of lakes and rivers with slow currents, as well as in tributaries, rivers and harbors. In winter, schools of fish of all sizes spend the winter in river beds or lake channels.

The turtle is widely distributed and is found in the trunks and tributaries of Heilongjiang, Liaohe, Yellow River, Yangtze River, Qiantang River, Minjiang, Taiwan, Pearl River and other river systems and their affiliated lakes.

It has a wide distribution, fast growth, and large individuals. The largest individual can reach 10 kilograms. It is naturally produced in rivers and lakes. The meat is white and tender, delicious but not fishy. It has always been regarded as a top-quality economic fish. Its nutritional content is: 18.6 grams of protein per 100 grams of edible part, 4.6 grams of fat, 116 kcal of calories, 37 mg of calcium, 166 mg of phosphorus, 1.1 mg of iron, 0.07 mg of riboflavin, and 1.3 mg of niacin. The big white fish produced in Xingkai Lake in Northeast China has always been listed as one of the four famous freshwater fish in my country. It is said that an emperor in the Tang Dynasty visited the south. When the royal boat reached the boundary of Jianglingfu in Hubei Province, a big white fish suddenly jumped out of the water and landed on the deck of the royal boat. People like it. The emperor ordered the imperial chef to cook it. After tasting it, he greatly praised the deliciousness of the white fish. From then on, the large white fish produced in Jiangling Prefecture was listed as a tribute. The great poet Du Fu once described "white fish as cut jade" in his poem, which shows that white fish has always been deeply loved by people.

The whole white fish caught in spring and summer can be used as medicine. Its meat is sweet and warm in taste. It has the effects of appetizing, strengthening the spleen, diuresis and eliminating edema. It has certain curative effect in treating weight loss, edema, postpartum cramps and other diseases.

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