The name "sturgeon" refers to any
fish in the family Acipenseridae.
This family has existed since the 
upper Cretaceous Period and still
continues to live today. Like other
living fossils, these fish live long
and mature late. With some species 
reaching lengths of seven meters, 
these bottom-feeders are quite large 
creatures. They mainly stick around
river deltas and estuaries, but
migrate upstream for spawning. 
Unlike other bony fishes, sturgeons
have cartilaginous skeletons and are
covered in skin adorned with bony
scutes rather than scales. They have
four barbels - sensory organs - 
preceding their mouths that they use 
to navigate by dragging them along
the ground. 

Sturgeon feed upon shells, small
fish, and crustaceans by using their
mouths to suck the food up, but 
without teeth, they cannot seize 
prey. They often live to sixty years 
old (though some have been found
over 100) and spawn for the first time 
around twenty; due to this, many 
species are under threat from 
overfishing and environmental 
pollution. As such, most of the 
sturgeon family is at risk of 
extinction, rendering them more 
endangered than any other family.
Without ceasing illegal fishing, 
humans may see the end of the 
sturgeon come quicker than it 
should naturally.
