The scales of this species are quite unique to the needs of the creek chub, ultimately helping to protect and maneuver. Scales do not appear until the fish is 26 mm long, leaving 30-mm-long individuals having small scales with few circuli. Major growth occurs during the first year, often jumping by over 50–70 mm in one year.Dinsmore, J.J. 1962. Life history of the creek chub with emphasis on growth. Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 69:296-301 Males grow far more quickly than females, allowing maturity to occur at one to one and a half years of age.
