Beluga Sturgeon: Facts and Photos
Nicki Santamaria
Geographic Range and Habitat:
-Found in the Caspian, Black sea, and Sea of Azov
-Anadromous, born in freshwater then spend the majority of their lives in saltwater
until returning back to freshwater to spawn
Physical Description:
-Spindle-shaped body with five rows of bony scutes (thickened horny or bony plate)
-Long snout with sensory barbels
-Beluga used to be much larger, some records measuring in at 4-6 meters in length
-From overfishing their average size has decreased to anywhere between 1.5 to 4 meters,
the females being larger in size and more desirable due to their caviar
Behavior:
-Incredibly long lifespan, reports showing it may have reached over 100 years
-They mature at a late age, males usually after 10 years and females mature after 15 years
-They no longer die from natural-age related causes, but rather from being fished soon after
reaching sexual maturity
-Do not spawn every year, could only spawn up to nine times in its entire lifetime
Diet:
-Primarily a piscivore, belugas mainly eat fish such as flounder, gobies or anchovy
-Compared to other sturgeon species that normally feed on invertebrates at the bottom of waters
-Can last long periods of fasting during spawning migrations
Endangerment:
-Belugas caviar is the most expensive in the world ranging from $3,200 to $4,500/lb, due to this
their species is overfished and is now considered to be critically endangered
Fun Facts:
-Fossils records that date back to the Lower Jurassic period (about 200 million years ago)
-The largest beluga recorded measured six meters in length and weighed 3,200 kg or about 7,000 lbs
-One of the most long-lived of all vertebrate species
Update on Art Project Accompanying Research:
