Siberian Sturgeon

Looks how to spot one

Scaleless sturgeon body with bony scutes

A classic sturgeon shape: long and tapering, with a pointed snout, four barbels, five rows of bony plates and a tail whose upper lobe is longer than the lower. Colour varies a lot, from pale grey to dark brown on the back and sides, with a white to yellowish belly.13

Personality what they are like

A calm, slow-moving bottom dweller that spends its time searching the floor for small invertebrates.23

Daily activity how busy a day looks

A river fish used to moderate to swift currents and long migrations, so it needs a lot of open swimming space.13

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

A long-term commitment because of its size and decades-long lifespan. Grows into a very large fish, so only very large ponds or public-aquarium systems suit adults.123

Home where they are happiest

Cold, clean fresh water. FishBase lists a temperature range of 1 to 19 °C and pH 7.0 to 7.5. In nature it lives in river sections from about 1 to 8 m deep with moving water.1

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Bottom feeder that eats small benthic animals such as crustaceans and midge larvae.23

Company who they like around

Peaceful toward other fish; sources give no specific group-size guidance.2

The story where it all began

Long a prized food and caviar fish in Russia, the Siberian sturgeon became one of the world's most widely farmed sturgeons. Fish from the Lena river are favoured for breeding because they live entirely in fresh water and mature earlier.23

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Wild species assessed as Critically Endangered (14 September 2019).1

Aquaculture

Widely farmed for meat and caviar; France is a leading caviar producer, Russia and China the largest meat producers. Also shown in public aquariums.2

Taxonomy

Moved from Acipenser to Huso in a 2025 revision, per Wikipedia.2