Beluga Sturgeon

caviar · endangered fish · Caspian Sea · ancient species

Massive river fish. The beluga sturgeon is the third-largest bony fish in the world, growing to enormous sizes in the Caspian and Black Seas. These anadromous fish live mostly in the ocean but swim up rivers to spawn, just like salmon.

Royal caviar prize. Female belugas produce beluga caviar, the most expensive and prized caviar in the world. This rare roe comes from very few wild belugas left today, making it incredibly valuable.

Critically endangered. People have fished beluga sturgeon so heavily for their eggs that wild populations have almost disappeared. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now lists them as critically endangered, meaning they could vanish forever.

Living fossil fish. Sturgeon like the beluga have existed for over 200 million years, making them older than dinosaurs. They look and act much like their ancient ancestors did long ago.

Ancient habitat loss. Belugas once swam in the Adriatic Sea near Europe, but they disappeared from there centuries ago. Today they're only found in the Caspian and Black Seas.