snail darter

noun

: a darter (Percina tanasi) of the Tennessee River drainage system of eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia

Examples of snail darter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Nearly 50 years after the snail darter temporarily blocked the construction of a dam in Tennessee, researchers at Yale University found that the endangered species technically is not a species at all. Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025 Now, genomic tools developed since that era, and a comparison of morphology, have revealed that the snail darter is very similar to the stargazing darter (P. uranidea), which is not considered endangered or threatened. Byscience News Staff, science.org, 9 Jan. 2025 Their efforts resulted in a resurgence of the snail darter population that led to its removal from the endangered species list in 2022. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025 In 1973, during construction, a group of University of Tennessee students and their biology professor discovered the snail darter in the waters downstream. Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025 After conservation efforts, the federal government took the snail darter off the endangered list in 2022. Byscience News Staff, science.org, 9 Jan. 2025 Plater, an environmental lawyer, represented the snail darter in front of the Supreme Court after its endangered status went challenged by the TVA. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025 As for the snail darter, the conservation efforts worked. Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025 For such a tiny fish, the snail darter has haunted Tennessee. Jason Nark, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snail darter was in 1975

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Cite this Entry

“Snail darter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snail%20darter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

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