Shovelnose Sturgeon Identification Guide
Spot a Shovelnose Sturgeon by its flat, spade-shaped snout, small size, and thread-like tail filament.
Read the full Shovelnose Sturgeon encyclopedia entry →
Key identification features
- Small sturgeon, typically under 3 feet and a few pounds
- Broad, flat, shovel- or spade-shaped snout
- Flattened, depressed head profile viewed from the side
- Long, thread-like filament extending from the upper tail lobe
- Belly covered in bony plates rather than true scales, with scutes similar in tone to the tan-brown body
- Four barbels of roughly similar length set in a row on the underside of the snout
Common look-alikes
- Pallid sturgeon: paler overall with a longer, narrower snout, and its inner barbels are noticeably longer than the outer ones, unlike the more evenly sized barbels of the Shovelnose.
- Lake Sturgeon: grows far larger with a rounded conical snout and lacks the Shovelnose's whip-like tail filament.
- Juvenile paddlefish: superficially similar small size in murky water, but paddlefish have a smooth scaleless body and a paddle-shaped rostrum rather than bony scutes.
Where you'll see one
Shovelnose Sturgeon inhabit the Missouri and Mississippi River systems and their major tributaries, favoring swift, turbid channels with sand or gravel bottoms. They are strict bottom dwellers, using their flattened snout and sensitive barbels to root out invertebrates in low-visibility water.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell a Shovelnose Sturgeon from a Pallid Sturgeon?
Compare barbel length and coloring: Pallid Sturgeon have much longer inner barbels than outer ones and a paler body, while Shovelnose Sturgeon barbels are more even in length and the body is darker tan-brown.
What is the fastest way to recognize a Shovelnose Sturgeon?
Look for the small overall size combined with a flat, spade-shaped snout and a slender filament trailing off the upper tail lobe — a combination unique to Shovelnose among common river sturgeons.