Beluga

Huso huso

Big mama is here! Huso huso, known colloquially as the beluga, beluga sturgeon, or great sturgeon, is the largest living member of the Acipenser family. In fact, this fish is the second longest bony fish in the world, outclassed only by the giant oarfish. These days, due to overfishing and strain on their habitat, typical beluga length is around 4-10 feet long, but the largest beluga ever caught and officially recorded was 23.7 feet long! This was in 1827, in the Volga estuary in Russia. How do these sturgeon get so big? They never stop growing! While humans like you and me will only grow until we reach our early 20s, this lady will continue to grow for the duration of her entire lifespan. Beluga have an interesting adaptation that allow them to sustain this growth: juveniles look very similar to their cousins in other genera of sturgeon, but as they mature the ventral mouth begins to shift upwards. By the time they are mature, the mouth is almost fully front-facing. This means that the beluga is not limited to bottom-feeding but can instead take on a more active hunting role and eat enough food to grow to gigantic sizes -- what a smart lady!

"Big Mama" by Gillain McDerment (tumblr post)