Sturgeon Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Long, cylindrical, cartilage-based body covered not in scales but in five rows of large, bony plates called scutes
• Elongated, often flattened or pointed snout with four sensitive barbels hanging in front of a toothless, tube-like mouth on the underside of the head
• Heterocercal tail, meaning the upper lobe is longer than the lower, giving a shark-like tail silhouette
• Body color ranges from grey to olive-brown or blackish above, fading to pale cream or white on the belly
• Size varies enormously by species, from under a meter to several meters in the largest forms
• Bottom-oriented feeding posture, with the downward-facing mouth used to suck up prey from the substrate

Common look-alikes

• Paddlefish: shares a cartilaginous skeleton and heterocercal tail but has a long, flat, paddle-shaped snout instead of rows of bony scutes
• Gar: has an elongated body but is covered in hard diamond-shaped scales rather than scutes, and has a mouth full of sharp teeth
• Beluga Sturgeon: distinguished from other sturgeon by its much larger size and wide, less pointed snout

Where you'll see one

Sturgeon inhabit large rivers, estuaries, and coastal seas across the Northern Hemisphere, with many species migrating between fresh and salt water to spawn. Most swim and feed near the bottom, often in cool, well-oxygenated water.