Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Physical Characteristics. Securing native cutthroat trout in trappers lake colorado. When identifying a hybrid look for the characteristics of a rainbow but with the red orange color slash visible above below the trout s jaw.
Colorado river cutthroat trout oncorhyncus clarki pleuriticus occupy less than 12 of their historic range. The colorado river cutthroat trout is native to the green river and little snake river drainages in wyoming. The cut bow is a genetic cross between a rainbow and a cutthroat trout.
Numbers of colorado river cutthroats were reduced through hybridization and competition with introduced non native trout like the brook trout and rainbow trout.
Considered one of the more beautiful trout in north america the colorado river cutthroat trout oncorhyncus clarkii pleuriticus once inhabited the high elevation streams and lakes of the green and colorado river basins in parts of five states as was the case with many cutthroat subspecies however the arrival of european settlers in the west led to massive declines in crct populations. Population habitat and genetic characteristics of colorado river cutthroat trout in wilderness and nonwilderness stream sections in the uinta mountains of utah and wyoming. North american journal of fisheries management 17 1134 1143. The colorado river cutthroat trout is native to the green river and little snake river drainages in wyoming.
