Zoolung Animals

Gyeongju

Sturgeon

Sturgeons are an ancient species that have existed for a very long time. They are characterized by the hard, plate-like scales that cover their entire bodies. Their mouths are positioned on the underside, making them well-suited for searching for food by feeling along the riverbed. They grow very slowly and have long lifespans; some individuals live for more than several decades.

Category

Sturgeon Order Sturgeon Family
Habitat

Waterways connecting rivers, streams, and the sea
Diet

Small fish, crustaceans, and shellfish

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Gyeongju

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Species

Bony fish

Although its name includes the word “shark,” it is a bony fish completely distinct from sharks. It is often referred to as a “living fossil” because it has existed since before the age of the dinosaurs.

Place of discovery

Rivers and Seas of the Northern Hemisphere

They are mainly found in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in Russia, North America, China, and South Korea, in large rivers or coastal areas where freshwater meets the sea.

Habitat

River estuaries and lake bottoms

They live on riverbeds or in the deep waters of lakes. Many of them are anadromous fish that swim upstream to spawn.

Diet

Carnivorous (bottom-feeding predator)

With its mouth positioned on the underside, it sweeps the sand on the seabed to catch and eat clams, shrimp, small fish, and aquatic insects.

Action

A gentle, slow glide

Although it is large in size, it has a very gentle temperament. Instead of scales, it has five rows of hard **bony plates (armor)** covering its body to protect itself.

Average size

1.5 meters to 7 meters

Although there are significant differences depending on the species, the beluga sturgeon, for example, can grow to be as large as 7 meters in length and weigh over 1 ton.

Features

Protected species

In South Korea, it has been extinct in the wild since 1977 and is now managed as a protected species.

Lifespan

50 to 100 years or more

It is an extremely long-lived animal. Although it grows slowly, it can live for several decades to over a century, and it takes about 20 years to reach reproductive maturity.