Joel Kontinen
Biologists
just captured a scale-tipping 109 kilograms or 240-pounds sturgeon measuring 2.1 meters or 6 feet 10 inches) in length in the Detroit
River in Michigan. The enormous fish, which is likely a female and could be
more than 100 years old, is believed to be one of the largest of its kind ever
caught in the U.S., according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS).
While in the wild, sturgeons can live between
50 and 90 years, females can be slightly bigger and older. The captured one was
a female.
Sturgeon look
very similar to their prehistoric ancestors and have a distinct shark-like tail
and rows of armored plates called “scutes” for protection. These
characteristics, combined with their large size, give the fish their monstrous
appearance; but they are actually completely harmless to humans.
Some ancient fish, for example the coelacanth, have also been recently seen alive in Madagascar. They where assumed to be be over 400 million years old.
Source: ,
Baker, Harry, 2021, 7-foot
'monster' sturgeon found in Detroit River could be over 100 years old. live sciene 13 May.
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