Food Habits of Bigmouth and Smallmouth Buffalo in Lewis and Clark Lake and the Missouri River

Food habits were determined for 386 bigmouth buffalo and 277 smallmouth buffalo collected in 1962 and 1963 from Lewis and Clark Lake and the Missouri River. Young-of-the-year bigmouth buffalo stomachs contained 100 percent zooplankton. Bigmouth buffalo (330 to 530 millimeters) stomachs contained 99 percent zooplankton in 1952 and 95 percent in 1963. Digestive tracts of young-of-the-year smallmouth buffalo contained 99 percent copepods and one percent sand. Smallmouth buffalo (250 to 400 millimeters) contained about 65 percent zooplankton, 30 percent phytoplankton, and the remaining five percent consisted of chironomid larvae, plant detritus, and sand.