A type of freshwater fish, possibly related to sturgeon or paddlefish, or a fish with rough, prickly scales resembling hackles.
From hackle (rough hairs or feathers, or to comb out fibers) + back (the dorsal side of a fish). The name likely refers to the fish's rough-textured back or rows of bony plates, making it sound prickly or spiky.
Fish names are often wildly descriptive—'hackleback' tells you exactly what ancient fishermen saw when they looked at this fish: a back that looked like a raised hackle of feathers or rough hair!
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