Species group · Bony fish

Sturgeons

WAnimals has 3 species of sturgeon, all in the family Acipenseridae.

3 species
1 family
49 countries
27 parks
Weight
400 kg – 1.1 t
Length
6 m – 7.2 m
Lifespan
50 – 104 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.

All 3 species of sturgeons on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

2 Critically Endangered1 Vulnerable

3 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 49 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

  • It is the largest freshwater fish in the world. The biggest one ever caught weighed 1,571 kg and measured 7.2 m.

    From Beluga

  • It is one of the longest-lived vertebrates: it can live beyond a hundred years.

    From Beluga

  • Fishing has cut that longevity short. Today no individuals older than 56 years are found, because almost all are caught soon after reaching maturity.

    From Beluga

  • It eats molluscs, polychaetes, shrimp and small fish from the sea and river bed.

    From Sturgeon

  • The last confirmed natural spawning outside that basin was recorded in 1994.

    From Sturgeon

  • It migrates between the sea and Europe's rivers to spawn, and has bony external plates instead of scales.

    From Sturgeon

  • It is the largest freshwater fish in North America and can live beyond a hundred years.

    From White Sturgeon

  • The females spawn only every two to five years, which makes populations very slow to recover.

    From White Sturgeon

Ecosystems

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