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Endangered Species

Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) Pallid sturgeon live in the Missouri, Mississippi and Lower Yellowstone rivers. Sturgeons evolved during the Paleozoic Era and are well adapted to fast flowing, muddy water. Their atennae-like barbels contain many nerve endings that help them locate aquatic insects and small fishes, their preferred foods. Pallid sturgeon can grow up to 6 feet long, weigh as much as 85 pounds and live as long as 50 years. Overfishing and habitat changes caused by dam construction, dredging and straightening of the big rivers caused pallid sturgeon to be place on the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 1990.--Amy Salveter