Pallid Sturgeon

Scaphirhynchus albus

Scaphirhynchus albus, commonly known as the pallid sturgeon, is native to the Mississippi and Missouri River deltas in the United States. Of the three members of the family Scaphirhynchus, the pallid sturgeon is the largest. This lady regularly grows between 3 and 5 feet long - by no means a giant among sturgeon, but an impressive length nonetheless. Pallid sturgeon enjoy a seasonal diet: insect larvae during their spawning months and minnows when the insect larvae have all matured or been eaten. The pallid sturgeon is named for its beautiful pale cream coloration. These gals are critically endangered in the wild, but conservation efforts are reducing the strain on their population. A healthy stock of breeding individuals exist in various hatcheries and juvenile pallid sturgeon are regularly released into the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

"Pallid Sturgeon Yearling Collage" by Sam Stukel (public domain)