What type of fish can perform an operation? A sturgeon!
Sturgeons, often mistaken for sharks, have large, bony scutes, a natural body armor of hard plates that cover their body instead of scales. Photo by Courtney Lachaise/Aquarium of the Bay
By Mallory Johnson
Published: September, 2015
What type of fish can perform an operation? A sturgeon!
Bad jokes aside, white sturgeons are actually quite amazing. These oft-overlooked animals are among the oldest creatures roaming the earth, and it’s about time they get their moment in the spotlight. Take a look at these 10 fascinating facts about white sturgeons:
1.- Don’t let their appearance fool you. Sturgeons are not sharks, though they are often mistaken for them. However, they do share some similar features to sharks, including their skeleton made of cartilage.
2.- Sturgeon are equipped with a protective armor. Rather than scales, white sturgeon have large, bony scutes, a natural body armor of hard plates that cover their body.
3.- Sturgeon have a slow growth rate, taking 8 to 20 years to mature, but are very long-lived—they can live to be over 100 years old!
4.- White sturgeon evolved over 260 million years ago, predating even the oldest dinosaurs.
5.- White sturgeon spend their time in river, bay and estuarine area habitats, particularly the brackish water at the mouths of large rivers.
6.- Sturgeon spawn in rivers, and can release anywhere from 100,000 to more than one million eggs at a time. Sturgeons can only spawn once every two to eight years.
7.- White sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in North America. The largest sturgeon ever caught weighed over 1,500 pounds and was over 20 feet long.
8.- Like salmon, sturgeon are anadromous, meaning they can thrive in fresh and salt water conditions.
9.- White sturgeon have small, beady eyes and limited vision. To make up for this, they are equipped with barbels—white sensory organs that resemble large whiskers above their mouth—to help them sense and feel out food.
10.- As bottom dwellers, sturgeons rummage the seafloor for food. Their tastebuds are on the outside of their mouths, though these are not to be confused with their barbels. Once they find a suitable meal, they suck their food out of the sand.
Learn more about this prehistoric-looking fish in person when you explore the underwater tunnels at Aquarium of the Bay, and show off to your friends that you now know the difference between sharks at sturgeons. Find out more at www.aquariumofthebay.org.
Mallory Johnson is the Communications Manager at Aquarium of the Bay, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting, restoring and inspiring the conservation of San Francisco Bay and its watershed.
