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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
An early battle involved the snail darter, a tiny Southeastern fish that delayed construction of a Tennessee river dam.
—John Flesher, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2023
Like the snail darter, the conflict differs from most battles over endangered species.
—Scott Sonner, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2022
Still, anyone who has followed the fierce battles over endangered species in the last few decades (think snail darter and spotted owl, for example) likely knows about the blowback to environmentalism that resulted.
—Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2012
The law’s first test, in 1975, protected the tiny snail darter fish by delaying a hydroelectric dam project in Tennessee — but prompted Congress to amend the act to provide more latitude to projects of regional or national importance.
—Andrew S. Lewis, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023
Williams is the biologist who listed the snail darter as endangered.
—From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2022
The snail darter is found in the Tennessee River watershed, including parts of north Alabama.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 4 Oct. 2022
In 1975, the agency declared the snail darter (Percina tanasi) endangered, concluding that construction of a dam on the Little Tennessee River would doom the 9-centimeter-long animals.
—Byscience News Staff, science.org, 13 Oct. 2022
Although the snail darter is the fifth fish species to recover and be removed from the list, some 400 other fish species across the United States remain listed as imperiled.
—Byscience News Staff, science.org, 13 Oct. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snail darter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1975, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near snail darter
Cite this Entry
“Snail darter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snail%20darter. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on snail darter
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about snail darter
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