Lake Sturgeon (acipenser fulvescens)
are amazing creatures dating back to prehistoric times. Sturgeon
have a skeleton made partly of bone and partly of cartilage.
Their slender bodies are covered with rows of bony plates. Beneath
the projecting snout, there is a small, toothless mouth with
thick sucking lips. There are four barbels (whiskers) in front
of the mouth that are used to direct food. The body is well protected
by its plates. A single dorsal fin rises from it's back.
In early summer, lake sturgeons migrate toward the shores of
freshwater lakes for spawning purposes. |
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They seek out pebbly habitats
that have no mud in which to breed and spawn. (Evans 1994).
Spawning usually takes place at a depth of 5.4 to 6.0 meters.
The females lay a vast number of eggs, anywhere from 2 to 3 million
in one season, depending on their size and age.
After spawning, the eggs are left to develop on their own.
The parents will then return to the lake or river where they
spend most of their time.(Rodgers 1990) |