Acipenser transmontanus

(Richardson, 1836)

Vernacular names
English : White sturgeon
French : Esturgeon blanc

Classification
Class : Chondrostei
Order : Acipenseriformes
Family : Acipenseridae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Usually around 1m in length but very old specimens can reach up to 6m in length for a weight of 800 kg. Gray to brown coloration on back, becoming white on belly. Barbels are closer to snout tip than to mouth. Elongated round snout tip.

Range and habitat
Eastern Pacific from Alaska Bay to California around Monterey Bay. Also found in Columbia river drainage and Lake Shasta. Lives mostly at sea, close to shore, also enters estuaries and rivers.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species isn’t threatened and some of its populations are still abundant. Others, especially landlocked populations, are highly endangered.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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