Sturgeon are ancient fish that have been around for over 100 million years. They can be found in rivers, lakes, and oceans all over the world. There are many different types of sturgeon and what they look like depends on what type it is.
Some sturgeons look very similar to other fishes, but others have a long nose or what some people call “a shovel.” What do all these strange features mean?
What Does A Sturgeon Look Like?
There are many different types of sturgeon and what they look like depends on what type it is. Most sturgeons look very similar to other fish but have a long sleek shape.
In general, species of sturgeon have a flat underside and a hump-like back. The flat underside is so they can skim the body of water’s bottom in search of food.
Sturgeon have whisker-like barbels that they use to find food. When they find food, they suck it up because they have no jaws or teeth.
Sharp diamond-shaped pieces of bone-like cartilage, called scutes, run down the top center of the fish, along both side lateral lines, and one row on each side of their underside. The actual genesis of these scutes is closely related to prehistoric scales.
The scutes are a form of armor to help protect from predators. When sturgeon are young, the scutes are very sharp but tend to recede as the fish get larger.
Color varies significantly with each species, but the most common color is tins of gray with lighter colored undersides.
Of course, sturgeon have gills like other fish for breathing underwater. Many people say that when sturgeon jump out of the water, it is to gulp air, but most likely, it is to avoid a predator or something that spooked them.
Many people think sturgeon look like sharks, which has led to miss reporting of shark sitings. However, most sturgeon have small dorsal fins located back by the tail, while most shark species have larger dorsal fins located high on the peak of their back.
Many people think sharks and sturgeon are related because they can look similar from a distance. The truth is they do not come from the same genealogy.
What Do All These Strange Features Mean?
Sturgeon are ancient fish that have actually been around for over 100 million years. They have evolved little over those 100 million years, mainly since they have actually been very successful as is.
Sturgeon have evolved some features gradually that help them endure over the years: More specifically, sturgeon have progressed over time to adjust to their environment. Armored scales (scutes) and whisker-like barbels are 2 unique features that are not discovered on many other types of fish.
Sturgeon are anadromous fish, which means they go back to freshwater every year. Unlike many other anadromous fish sturgeon spend a higher percentage of their adult life in freshwater.
In general, when a type of fish has the ability to reside in both saltwater and freshwater, it is more likely that its ancestors were marine-based organisms.
What Does A Beluga Sturgeon Look Like?
One of the largest and most revered sturgeon is the Beluga sturgeon which resides primarily in northern Asia. This sturgeon has a few unique characteristics, including its dark gray skin(almost black) and its barbels that have foliate appendages along with each one.
Their underside is white like many other sturgeon, but it looks bolder against the dark upper skin.
What Does A Pacific White Sturgeon Look Like?
Another large species of sturgeon is the White sturgeon, also known as the Pacific White sturgeon. Many people say this fish is the run-of-the-mill average sturgeon with no aggressive features.
Most White sturgeon are white on the underside and light gray on the rest of their body. Also, the scutes on a White sturgeon recede more than most sturgeon as they age.
What Does A Siberian Sturgeon Look Like?
Siberian sturgeon look very similar to White sturgeon, having light gray colors and less prominent scutes than other species. Two visual differences are a larger white area on their underside and a longer nose almost the size of a shovelnose sturgeon.
The Siberian sturgeon have a short life span, and they are small on average. This species also reaches spawning age sooner than a White sturgeon.
It is thought that there could be larger Siberian sturgeon that spend most of their lives in the sea, but these ocean fish are only seen when they come into the river to spawn.
What Does A Shovelnose Sturgeon Look Like?
The dominant feature of a Shovelnose sturgeon is a long slender nose that almost appears to have a bump on the tip. For the color, most Shovelnose is light brown with a large percentage of white on their underside.
The upper scutes are very prominent and remain on the sharper side of the scale. Toward the fish’s back, its body gets thin and almost sleek with a tail that matches in its narrow profile.
The Shovelnose is found in the Mississippi and Missouri river, which might explain the brown color that would blend in with the bottom.
What Does A Green Sturgeon Look Like?
The dark green pops out on a Green sturgeon with white scutes and a white belly, making it hard to miss. However, other than the dark green, there are very few bold features of this fish.
The Green sturgeon has a small population but can turn up in many rivers and bays that empty into the northern Pacific Ocean.
What Does A Lake Sturgeon Look Like?
The average lake sturgeon would seem easy to identify with a full coat of gray and a small white underside. However, it is not. This is because lake sturgeon vary in color depending on their home lake.
For example, Lake Winnabego sturgeon are almost brown in color but are still lake sturgeon. It is possible that lake sturgeon could be the most numerous species. There are multiple variations because they can be found worldwide but are most dense in northern US lakes.
Also, this species is very popular with fish farms because it reaches maturity sooner than large species like the White or Beluga sturgeon.
What Does A Starry Sturgeon Look Like?
Starry sturgeon is a sleek black fish with predominant white scutes and a longer than average flat nose. The white underside pops out against the black upper, but it is hard to see next to the rocks during the day while it lays on the bottom.
This species of sturgeon mainly inhabits the Black Sea and other bodies of water in the region. In small tributaries, it is thought to be extinct, but a few make a surprise appearance.
What Does A Sterlet Sturgeon Look Like?
One of the smallest sturgeon is referred to only as the Sterlet. This fish is light gray in color and has small rows of white scutes. This species of sturgeon is also slender and doesn’t get very thick.
These traits make it a great sturgeon to thrive in rivers, and it can hide on the bottom, unlike other large species of sturgeon. Unfortunately, it is thought to be extinct in places like the Black and Caspian Sea. However, bottom fish are rediscovered in large bodies of water regularly.
Conclusion
Sturgeon have been around for well over 100 million years and thrived in mass numbers. The common sturgeon has a variety of different appearances that are often dependent on what type of environment they live in.
Some are big and long while others are small, but what they all have in common is defining what makes them different from other fish. One of these features is their sharp armor-like scutes and their flat underside.
Nature and evolution have formed what sturgeon look like, and we hope it will help sturgeon adjust to their environment to survive another 100 million years.
