The Russian Sturgeon or Acipenser gueldenstaedtii is a species of Sturgeon that is found in Russia, as well as Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and the Ukraine. The Russian Sturgeon is the largest Sturgeon in the world, it reaches a length of 13 ft (396 cm) and a weight of up to a ton (900 kg)! They have a series of dorsal scutes, lateral scutes and ventral scutes that give them the appearance of a prehistoric fish!
This fish can also be found in the Black, Caspian and Azov seas basins. They are identified by their short snout that has a rounded tip. Their barbels are not fringed and are located near the top of their snout. These fish will migrate often up the Danube River and occasionally in the Sava River and the Tisa River. You can see the Russian Sturgeon for yourself in the video below...The Russian Sturgeon is benthic feeder, which simply means that it feed on the bottom. Normal meals include shells, crabe, snails, insect larva, and small fish. Like other Sturgeons, they reach sexual maturity late in their lives, and are highly prized as caviar. It can take this fish as long as 16 years before it reproduces for the first time. After reproduction is complete, they will wait another 5 or 6 years before reproducing again. For this reason the fate of the Russian Sturgeon is in question.
You can learn about all the different types of Sturgeon here!
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