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>> Two of these species are endangered.
This is a Pallid Sturgeon. It's an endangered species.
This is our Shovelnose Sturgeon,
and can see these two look quite similar.
And this is our Lake Sturgeon.
Key identifying characteristics of Lake Sturgeon
are this dark brown color, this short, rounded nose,
and then if you look underneath their barbels are not fringed,
they are smooth.
These long cylindrical barbells are smooth on a Lake Sturgeon.
The best way to tell a Pallid Sturgeon
which is an endangered species from a Shovelnose Sturgeon
is to actually look on the underneath side of the fish.
Key things we look at are the barbel arrangements.
Here these inner barbells are set forward
of the outer barbells on the Pallid
and these outer barbells are very long.
Also the head length is a lot longer
than a Shovelnose Sturgeon is.
On a Shovelnose Sturgeon the barbels are arranged
a straight line across the snout
and these inner barbells are just as thick
and usually just as long as the outer barbels.
Another key identifying characteristic
for the Pallid Sturgeon is that they do not have
any belly scutes or scales on their belly.
This -- a Pallid Sturgeon's belly
is skin-like and very smooth.
On a Shovelnosed Sturgeon the scales,
there's lots of belly scutes or scales
and that's another key identifying characteristics
that tell the two species apart.
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