Diet/Nutrition
The Freshwater Drum feeds on bottom living invertebrates. For the most part the drum eats mollusks but it also eats crustaceans and insect larvae. The drum has modified pharyngeal teeth for crushing the shells of the mollusks it feeds on. To learn more about their teeth, check out Interactions. The best time to spot a drum (or catch a drum for those of you who like to fish!) is at night when it moves into the shallow water to feed. Studies show that drum caught by fishermen at night were young while those caught during the day were older.
What bait can attract a Freshwater Drum? Crayfish, minnows, and worms including the common earthworm Eisenia fetida can hook the Drum.
The Freshwater Drum has a closed circulatory system. Only one circuit completes the drum's circulatory system and that is joined by a two-chambered heart. In comparison, humans have a four-chambered heart and two circuits in our circulatory system. In the drum, blood goes from the heart to the gills and then on to the rest of the body and back to the heart.
The flesh of the Freshwater Drum is not of the highest quality. In fact most people do not like it and it is usually only eaten locally. However there are some ways to cook and prepare the flesh to make it quite tasty. To read about these recipes, Click here.