Found in parts of the Coosa River Basin in southeastern Tennessee, northern Georgia and northern Alabama, one tiny little fish is getting some big attention. The trispot darter, less than two inches in length, was placed on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “threatened” list this week. The tiny little trispot darter lives anywhere from two to two and a half years. Adult darters spend April to October in slow-moving water along the edges of rivers, but around late November, they head upstream to spawn, much like salmon, in what are described as “intermittent seepage areas and ditches” that provide nearly standing water.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it is giving individuals and businesses until February 26 to comment on proposed critical habitat and propose exemptions to the “threatened” declaration.