FISH OF THE DAY 𓆝 ⋆｡𖦹°‧
𓇼 Sturgeon 🫧
Sturgeon are members of the family Acipenseridae, an ancient lineage of bony fishes that coexisted with the dinosaurs. This family also includes paddlefishes! Many species are critically endangered, with some, like the Chinese sturgeon, facing near extinction. Their appearance is elongated, spindle-shaped bodies with five rows of bony plates (scutes) for armor, and a shark-like, heterocercal tail. They have a sucker-like mouth on the underside of the snout, used for vacuuming food off the bottom. They are mostly cartilage, like sharks! Size varies by species, but some can exceed 13 feet and 800 pounds!
Sturgeon have no teeth as adults and swallow their food whole. Their diet usually includes bottom-dwelling crustaceans such as amphipods, shrimp, and crabs, as well as bivalves, fishes, and fish eggs.
These fish are found in the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting freshwater, brackish, and marine environments. All sturgeon are migratory, typically spending most of their adult lives in estuaries, the lower reaches of rivers, or the ocean. They migrate upstream in large freshwater rivers to spawn in cool, deep, swift flowing river reaches over gravel and cobble bottoms.
Fun Facts! 𓆝 ⋆.
Sturgeons are "living fossils" that have existed for over 120 million years, dating back to the Cretaceous period
They can live for over 100 years!
They are among the largest freshwater fish. A 152-year-old lake sturgeon was once recorded, and a Beluga sturgeon was caught at over 3,000 pounds.
They are considered a bony fish even though they are mostly cartilage!
These fish are well known for caviar, however due to slow maturing and slow reproduction, they are endangered :(
Atlantic sturgeon are known to jump high out of the water! Beware.
There are 25 species of sturgeon worldwide!
Sources...⋆˚꩜｡
wildlife.ca.gov
Deep Marine Scenes - YouTube
