 There are 25 species of large, primitive fish in this family. Scientists have found sturgeon fossils that are over 350 million years old. Sturgeons are found in cold to temperate waters in the Northern Hemisphere.
They range in size from 6-20 feet in length. Sturgeons have long snouts, five rows of bony plates called scutes on their bodies, bony plates on their heads, and four barbels, or fleshy feelers, under their snouts. Adult sturgeons have no teeth. Some species are freshwater fish and some species are anadromous.
Anadromous fish spend most of their life in salt water, but return to freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams to mate and give birth. Sturgeons are bottom feeders and use their long snouts to stir up the mud and their barbels to locate prey like fish, crustaceans, worms, clams, snails, and insect larvae, which they suck into their toothless mouths. Sturgeon eggs are used for caviar and many species are endangered from overfishing.
World Status Key
 Least Concern  Near Threatened  Vulnerable  Endangered  Critically Endangered  Extinct in Wild  Extinct  Not Enough Data
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist.
U.S. Status Key
 Threatened in US  Endangered in US  Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife. Click on U.S. status icon to go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife species profile.
New Hampshire Status Key
 Threatened in NH  Endangered in NH  Breeds in NH (birds)
Status taken from NH Fish and Game
Location Key
 Africa  Asia  Australia/Oceania  Europe  North America  South America  NH
More Info
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Resource Key
 Profile  Photos  Video  Audio
New Hampshire Species
Atlantic Sturgeon - Acipenser oxyrinchus
Shortnose Sturgeon - Acipenser brevirostrum
North/Central American Species
Green Sturgeon - Acipenser medirostris
Gulf Sturgeon - Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi
Lake Sturgeon - Acipenser fulvescens
White Sturgeon - Acipenser transmontanus
Alabama Sturgeon - Scaphirhynchus suttkusi
Pallid Sturgeon - Scaphirhynchus albus
Shovelnose Sturgeon - Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
Other Species Around the World
Adriatic Sturgeon - Acipenser naccarii
Amur Sturgeon - Acipenser schrenckii
Chinese Sturgeon - Acipenser sinensis
European Sturgeon - Acipenser sturio
Persian Sturgeon - Acipenser persicus
Russian Sturgeon - Acipenser gueldenstaedtii
Sakhalin Sturgeon - Acipenser mikadoi
Ship Sturgeon - Acipenser nudiventris
Siberian Sturgeon - Acipenser baerii
Stellate Sturgeon - Acipenser stellatus
Sterlet - Acipenser ruthenus
Yangtze Sturgeon - Acipenser dabryanus
Small Amu-Darya Shovelnose Sturgeon - Pseudoscaphirhynchus hermanni
Amu Darya Shovelnose Sturgeon - Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni
Syr-darya Shovelnose Sturgeon - Pseudoscaphirhynchus fedtschenkoi
Beluga Sturgeon - Huso huso
Kaluga - Huso dauricus
Additional Information
Adriatic Sturgeon - Acipenser naccarii
The Adriatic sturgeon is found in areas around the the Adriatic Sea.
Source: NOAA Fisheries Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Adriatic Sturgeon - Acipenser naccarii
The Adriatic sturgeon is found in the sea close to shore and in estuaries. In freshwater, it is found in large deep rivers.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Alabama Sturgeon - Scaphirhynchus suttkusi
The Alabama sturgeon’s historic range once included 1,600 km of the Mobile River system in Alabama and Mississippi. It is now believed to exist only in 210 km of the lower Alabama River.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Amur Sturgeon - Acipenser schrenckii
The Amur sturgeon is found in the Amur River basin in China and Russia.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Atlantic Sturgeon - Acipenser oxyrinchus
Atlantic sturgeon can grow to lengths of 14 feet and can weigh as much as 800 pounds. Learn more!
Source: NOAA Fisheries Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Atlantic Sturgeon - Acipenser oxyrinchus
Atlantic sturgeon were once a commercial fish in the Connecticut River. Learn more at this site.
Source: Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Beluga Sturgeon - Huso huso
The Beluga sturgeon is found in the basins of the Caspian, Black, Azov, and Adriatic Seas.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Beluga Sturgeon - Huso huso
The Beluga sturgeon is the largest sturgeon in the world. It reaches maturity when it is 13-15 years old.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Chinese Sturgeon - Acipenser sinensis
The Chinese government has named the Chinese sturgeon a national treasure.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Chinese Sturgeon - Acipenser sinensis
The Chinese sturgeon can live 50 to 60 years in the wild.
Source: NOAA Fisheries Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Small Amu-Darya Shovelnose Sturgeon - Pseudoscaphirhynchus hermanni
The Small Amu-Darya Shovelnose sturgeon is found in the Amu Darya River in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
European Sturgeon - Acipenser sturio
The European sturgeon has been fished to the brink of extinction, principally as a source of caviar.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
European Sturgeon - Acipenser sturio
The European sturgeon is found in Europe and West Asia.
Source: NOAA Fisheries Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Amu Darya Shovelnose Sturgeon -Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni
The Amu Darya Shovelnose Sturgeon is found in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. it is also known as the Amu Darya sturgeon.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Green Sturgeon - Acipenser medirostris
Male green sturgeons can grow as long as 6.5 feet. They are found in Alaska, California, Oregon, British Columbia, and Mexico.
Source: NOAA Fisheries Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Gulf Sturgeon - Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi
Gulf sturgeon can live to be as long as 60 years.
Source: NOAA Fisheries Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Gulf Sturgeon - Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi
The gulf sturgeon is found in the Gulf of Mexico.
Source: Florida Museum Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Kaluga - Huso dauricus
The kaluga is found in China and Russia.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Lake Sturgeon - Acipenser fulvescens
The female lake sturgeon takes more than 20 years to reach maturity. .
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lake Sturgeon - Acipenser fulvescens
Lake sturgeons can be over six feet in length and weigh close to 200 pounds.
Source: Michigan Natural Resources Inventory Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Pallid Sturgeon - Scaphirhynchus albus
The pallid sturgeon is found in river habitats in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee.
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Persian Sturgeon - Acipenser persicus
The Persian sturgeon is found in Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Russian Sturgeon - Acipenser gueldenstaedtii
The Russian sturgeon is found in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sakhalin Sturgeon - Acipenser mikadoi
The Sakhalin sturgeon is found in Japan and Russia.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Ship Sturgeon - Acipenser nudiventris
The ship sturgeon is found in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Serbia, and Turkey.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Shortnose Sturgeon - Acipenser brevirostrum
The shortnose sturgeon is the smallest sturgeon species found in eastern North America.
Source: NOAA Fisheries Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Shovelnose Sturgeon - Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
Shovelnose sturgeons are found in parts of the Mississippi and Missouri river basins. It is is the smallest species of freshwater sturgeon in North America.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Shovelnose Sturgeon - Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
Shovelnose sturgeons can be up to 30 inches in length and weigh up to 5 pounds.
Source: Missouri Department of Conservation Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Siberian Sturgeon - Acipenser baerii
The Siberian sturgeon is found in the deep parts of large rivers with moderate to swift currents in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. .
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Stellate Sturgeon - Acipenser stellatus
The Stellate sturgeon can be more than six feet in length. It is found in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Iran, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sterlet - Acipenser ruthenus
The sterlet is found in Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Syr-darya Shovelnose Sturgeon - Pseudoscaphirhynchus fedtschenkoi
The Syr-darya shovelnose sturgeon is found in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
White Sturgeon - Acipenser transmontanus
The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
White Sturgeon - Acipenser transmontanus
The white sturgeon is found from Aleutian Islands in Alaska to Baja, California in Mexico.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Yangtze Sturgeon - Acipenser dabryanus
The Yangtze sturgeon is found in the Yangtze River in China.
Source: Fishbase Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School |
