Lake Sturgeon

fish · freshwater · bottom feeders · ancient

Living fossils. Lake sturgeons have remained nearly unchanged for over 100 million years, making them one of the oldest fish species still swimming today.

Armor-plated bodies. Instead of smooth skin, lake sturgeons are covered in rows of hard bony plates running along their sides and back, like a suit of armor protecting them from harm.

Whisker detectives. They have special whisker-like feelers called barbels around their mouth that help them sense food hidden in the mud and darkness of the lake bottom.

Bendable skeletons. Lake sturgeons have skeletons made partly of cartilage instead of hard bone, which means their bodies are flexible and bendy like a shark's.

Bottom feeders. These fish spend their lives vacuuming up food from the lake floor, searching for small animals and insects buried in the mud.