Sturgeon are among the oldest surviving groups of fish. Sturgeon fossils date back more than 150 million years to the Cretaceous period.
There are 24 different species of sturgeon that occur in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the USA, nine species of sturgeon are listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. They are considered one of the world’s most endangered groups of species.
The bodies of sturgeon are covered with rows of bony plates called “scutes.”
Sturgeon do not have teeth. They swallow their prey whole.
Sturgeon sometimes leap out of water and, in rare cases, land in boats.
A monster Atlantic Sturgeon caught in Canada measured 14 feet long and weighed 811 pounds.
Another Atlantic Sturgeon from the St. Lawrence River was estimated to be 60 years old.
Lake sturgeon are the largest fish in the Great Lakes. Adults can grow to 7 feet in length and weigh up to 300 pounds.