Pallid sturgeon

Pallid sturgeon
CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acipenseriformes
Family: Acipenseridae
Genus: Scaphirhynchus
Species:
S. albus
Binomial name
Scaphirhynchus albus
Pallid sturgeon range
Synonyms

Parascaphirhynchus albus S. A. Forbes and R. E. Richardson, 1905

The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is a sturgeon from the genus Scaphirhynchus. This sturgeon is found in the Missouri River and lower Mississippi River basins.

It is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN probably due to a few individuals in the wild. There have been conservation efforts to save the sturgeon from going completely extinct.

Etymology

The word pallid means "being pale in color", much like in humans. The species name albus means "white" in Latin.

Description

Characteristics

Pallid sturgeons can typically reach 30 and 60 inches (76 and 152 cm) long. They have a heterocercal tail. They're usually called "dinosaur-like" or "hideous". Just like most sturgeons, they have a series of plates called scutes.

They do not have bony skeletons, but they do have a cartilaginous skeleton. This soft tissue can even spread out to the dorsal fin to the tail. They are sometimes confused with the shovelnose sturgeon.

DNA studies

Scientists conducted DNA analysis on these sturgeons to know the differences between pallid and shovelnose.

The Barbels

Ecology

Habitat

The pallid sturgeon lives in the Missouri River and prefers wider river channels.

Depths

These sturgeons can stay between 3 and 25 ft deep. However, a study showed that the pallid sturgeon was recorded to stay between 2 and 47 ft deep.

References

  1. Jordan, G.; Nelson-Stastny, W. (2022). "Scaphirhynchus albus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  1. ↑ Jordan, G.; Nelson-Stastny, W. (2022). "Scaphirhynchus albus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T19940A97435395. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.