Rivers are a part of our heritage. Rivers and streams can be described in many ways. Whether the river is straight, sinuous, meandering or an oxbow is determined by the landscape. Natural physical processes common to all rivers cause water to flow in a meandering fashion rather than a straight line. A stream that flows in a very straight line for a considerable distance has probably been altered artificially.
Some streams flow all year long and are called perrenial.
Others, called intermittent flow only during the wet season, while ephemeral streams are found only after a heavy rain. Rivers and streams have parts, too. The headwater is where rivers begin their journey and the mouth is where it enters another water body. Aquatic animals have adapted to these different areas. In their comprehensive book, The Fishes of Tennessee, Dr. David Etnier and Dr. Wayne Starnes explain that Tennessee not only has the greatest diversity of freshwater fishes in the country, but also of crayfish, mollusks and some aquatic insects.