The Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baeri) is a freshwater fish. 

The Siberian Sturgeon is elongated, similar to a shark. It has smooth scaleless skin (unlike fish that have scales). It has five lateral rows of bony plates called scutes. 

It grows up to 200-350 centimetres (79-138 inches) long. 

It is native to all of the major Siberian rivers, mainly in the Ob River and its tributaries. It is also found in the rivers of Kazakhstan and China. 

The Siberian Sturgeon feeds on animals that live on the bottom of the sea, such as crabs. It is a bottom-feeder. 

It breeds over stone or gravel in strong currents in river channels. The female lays a lot of eggs—more than 100,000—called roe. People eat roe, called caviar. She lays the eggs upstream. The eggs hatch after 8-15 days into larval fish. The water current carries the larval fish downstream.

The Siberian Sturgeon lives, on average, for 50-60 years. 

[Location of photographs: Aquarium de Paris-Cinéaqua]

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM