This lifeform is widespread in North America. This lifeform is found in freshwater such as lakes or rivers. This lifeform is locally common in suitable environments.

Big mouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) was originally found from Hudson Bay, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River system south into New Orleans.  The big mouth has been introduced into Arizona and California.

Family Catostomidae contains the familiar sucker group of small  fish that are found in most lakes and streams in the United States.

Order Cypriniformes contains the majority of the world's  freshwater species of fish. Included in this order are the  minnows, carp, and many other groups of fish.

Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that  include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They  are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are  found in both fresh and marine waters.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.