That’s no Ghost of #Fishmas Past! 👻 Day 19 features the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), also known as by the Ojibwe names of Nmé/Nahmay, a prehistoric-looking #GreatLakes fish species whose story of resilience could rival any Dickens novel #25DaysofFishmas - ThreadSky

drkatfish.bsky.social • 73 days ago

That’s no Ghost of #Fishmas Past! 👻

Day 19 features the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), also known as by the Ojibwe names of Nmé/Nahmay, a prehistoric-looking #GreatLakes fish species whose story of resilience could rival any Dickens novel #25DaysofFishmas

Comments

greatlakeslady.bsky.social•73 days ago

Lil baby lake sturgeon going in to the Maumee River as part of restocking efforts in partnership with USFWS and the Toledo Zoo:

drkatfish.bsky.social•73 days ago

How cool!! Was this from this past year? I was at the Zoo's Sturgeon Fest in 2022 and 2023 but couldn't make it this year!

greatlakeslady.bsky.social•73 days ago

According to my camera roll it was 2019. I think that was the first one they did.

joxter.bsky.social•73 days ago

This thread is 😘👌
tysm for all of this～💜

drkatfish.bsky.social•73 days ago

Lake sturgeon is one of ~27 species in the sturgeon family (Acipenseridae), a group dating back to the Cretaceous. Like gars ( #GarWeek), sturgeon are sometimes called “primitive” because the way they look today is almost unchanged from fossil records dating back millions of years #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•73 days ago

Lake sturgeon aren’t only found in lakes! They were historically found in lakes + large rivers throughout the #GreatLakes + Mississippi River basins. However, in 19 of 20 states where they were historically found, they’re now listed as threatened, endangered, or of special concern #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•73 days ago

Scutey-pies: Instead of “normal” scales, lake sturgeon are covered in rows of bony plates called scutes. Scutes are a type of ganoid scale (see #GarWeek for more on these scales!). In baby sturgeon, scutes are very pronounced + sharp, which provides protection from predators #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•73 days ago

Large and in charge: Lake sturgeon is the largest fish native to the #GreatLakes. One caught and released in the Detroit River in 2021 was ~7 ft long, weighed 240 lbs, and likely 100 years old (or possibly even older, as females can reach 150 years!) #25DaysofFishmas https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2021/04/30/lake-sturgeon-michigan-fish-detroit-river/7411644002/

drkatfish.bsky.social•73 days ago

As bottom-dwellers, lake sturgeon use vacuum-like mouths + prehensile lips to suck up insects, mussels, and small fish and swallow them whole - no teeth on these guys! They're aided by whiskers (barbels) that are touch- and taste-sensitive and help them find prey in murky conditions #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•73 days ago

🎶Everybody's gone sturgeon, Sturgeon USA 🎶

There are several species of sturgeons found across North America - many are at least partially anadromous (meaning they spawn in freshwater but live mostly in the oceans), but the lake sturgeon has evolved to live entirely in freshwater #25DaysofFishmas