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  • Sturgeon

Sturgeon

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Yangtze River
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Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan

Up to 100 years

Diet

Diet

Insect larvae

Also molluscs and other small invertebrates that live in the mud

Habitat

Habitat

Large freshwater lakes and rivers

Some species travel to the ocean

Range

Range

Northern hemisphere in Europe

Also Asia and North America

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The sturgeons

Special sturgeons

Special sturgeons

Sturgeons have rows of bony plates covering the head and along the body. The upper lobe of its tail fin is longer than the lower. Some species are long-distance travellers, capable of making round-trip journeys of up to 3,500 kilometres a year. Sturgeons can grow to be very large, up to 4.2 metres. All sturgeon species have been extensively exploited by humans for their meat and roe. As a result, sturgeons are among the most threatened animals in the world.
A tactile search for food

A tactile search for food

Sturgeons have a toothless mouth on the underside of the snout, preceded by four sensitive whisker-like barbels. These bottom-dwellers have bad eyesight and depend on their tactile barbels to locate food. To increase the coverage area of their food search, sturgeons sometimes wag their head from side to side. Scientists believe that sturgeons may carry taste buds outside their mouths to assist them in detecting prey.
Feeding off the bottom

Feeding off the bottom

Once located, prey is sucked up with its mouth, like a vacuum cleaner. Usually, the prey is swallowed whole, straight into the fish’s stomach. Due to its size in comparison with that of its prey, sturgeons spend much time scouring the mud for their meals. Besides invertebrate prey, they may also feed on dead fish. They may also take live fish such as smelt, shad and sculpin in the middle of their spawning process. Some species of sturgeon thrive off clams and crayfish.

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Black pearl producers

Black pearl producers

Sturgeons are a highly valuable group of species – beluga sturgeon caviar (also known as black pearls) can fetch up to US$10,000 per kilogram.

This has led to over-harvesting of many sturgeon species. With sturgeon stocks depleted, fishermen are now turning to the closely-related paddlefish to meet the caviar demand.

The IUCN Status

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

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