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Hunter writes: "From an evolutionary perspective, the pallid sturgeon is a thing of beauty."

The pallid sturgeon. (photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic)
The pallid sturgeon. (photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic)


An Ancient Fish Is Running Out of Time

By Chris Hunter, The New York Times

04 September 15

 

ROM an evolutionary perspective, the pallid sturgeon is a thing of beauty.

Its eyes are a bit beady, it’s true, but good vision is not a prerequisite for living on the bottom of the Missouri River. And its toothless mouth, with its protruding, whiskerlike barbels, is creepy. But these barbels are perfect for sensing food, which it sucks in like a vacuum cleaner.

No, these fish are not sleek and beautiful like trout. But this species of sturgeon, which can grow to a length of six feet and weigh as much as 80 pounds, has managed to survive since the time of the dinosaurs, with fossils dating back some 70 million years.

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