Sterlet

Acipenser ruthenus

Acipenser ruthenus, commonly known as the sterlet, is a very little lady among sturgeon species. Sterlet grow to around 35 inches long -- 1 inch short of 3 feet. This little lady is on the classic sturgeon diet of worms, crustaceans, and insect larvae. She has fringed barbels that she uses to taste the water around her while on the hunt for these tasty treats. Sterlet range in coloration from pale warm browns to dusty blueish grays, but they all have beautiful yellow underbellies. The sterlet also has a striking white stripe of scutes running along her lateral line, similar to Acipenser stellatus, but smaller and more tightly packed. This lady is native to the Black, Azov, and Caspian Sea basins. She is also the last remaining native sturgeon species to swim the waters of the Middle and Upper Danube.

"A sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), a pure freshwater sturgeon species, native in the Pontocaspian region" by Thomas Friedrich (creative commons)