River Otter

Atlantic Sturgeon
 

Lifespan: Can live up to 60 years, more commonly seen in northern waters whereas in the southeast Atlantic sturgeon will like closer to 25-30 years due to them reaching sexual maturity earlier in warmer waters. 

Size: 

• Up to 14 ft., but more commonly 5-6 ft. 
• Up to 800 lb., but more commonly 160 lb. 

Diet: Sturgeon are bottom feeders eating benthic creatures such as mollusks, crustations, worms, small bottom dwelling fish, and other invertebrates such as sand lice. 

Adaptations: 

• Sturgeon have a long snout that enables them to brush up sand and mud to find food- their mouth serving as a vacuum.
  
• Sturgeon have modified scales that are bony plates, called scutes. These act as armor and protect sturgeon from any natural predators.
  
• Their mouths are found underneath them, similar to rays. They use their protrusible mouth as a vacuum to look for and eat food. Sturgeon do not have teeth but rely on their strong stomach muscles to breakdown the food they swallow whole. 
  
• Near their mouth, sturgeon have barbels, which are their built-in sensors for food. These barbels drag along the ocean floor to help find prey. 
  
• Atlantic Sturgeon have a “shark-like” tail that enables them to swiftly swim through the water and change direction quickly

Range: Can span in rivers and coastal waters from Canada to Florida. 

History: Atlantic sturgeon have been on earth for around 120 million years. They are a prehistoric animal that can be found in fossils from the Cretaceous period. 

• 2000BCE: Indigenous populations along the New England coast hunted and fished for sturgeon using a variety of methods, including spears, nets, and weirs. Contemporaneous accounts from European settler colonists describe a fishing practice where hunters would go out at night in their canoes and shine a torch into the water. When the sturgeon came up to the surface to investigate, they would then use their clubs or spears to capture the fish?
• 1600s: Sturgeon populations are so plentiful that a contemporary account described being practically able to cross the James River by stepping on the backs of sturgeon. European settler colonists were initially skeptical of using sturgeon as a food source, despite it being a dietary staple for local indigenous people. However, out of necessity, European settler colonists began using them as a food source, and sturgeon are credited as saving the Jamestown colony from famine4. ?
• Late 1800s: “Black Gold Rush” - Large numbers of people flocked to the Eastern coast of the US to harvest sturgeon for caviar. Sturgeon populations fell dramatically – in 1887, 7 million pounds of sturgeon were reported as caught, whereas that number dropped to 20,000 pounds in 1905 (note: historical records of sturgeon landings did not generally differentiate between Atlantic and Short nosed sturgeon). 
• 1967: Short nose sturgeon are listed as federally endangered (this predates the endangered species act)
• 1980: Atlantic Sturgeon are believed to be locally extinct from the Connecticut river7?
• 1998: The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission moratorium for Atlantic sturgeon in all U.S. waters began ?
• 2012: 4 distinct population segments (DPS) of Atlantic Sturgeon are listed as endangered (New York Bight DPS, Chesapeake Bay DPS, Carolina DPS, South Atlantic DPS) and one is listed as threatened (Gulf of Main DPS). ?
• 2017: Each of the population segments of Atlantic Sturgeon receive critical habitat designation in key areas of spawning, rearing, and other important water features. This means that “Federal agencies that undertake, fund, or permit activities that may affect these designated critical habitat areas are required to consult with NOAA Fisheries to ensure that their actions do not adversely modify or destroy designated critical habitat”

Conservation status: All 5 US populations of Atlantic Sturgeon (Carolina, Chesapeake, NY Bight, South Atlantic, Gulf of Maine) are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Populations found in Canada are not protected under US policy. 

Predators:  Due to their adaptation of bony plates, scutes, they have few predators. Human impact is their greatest threat due to overfishing and habitat loss. 

Our Sturgeon: 

Sturgeon Touch Tank Exhibit Info: 

• Opened July 2023 
  
• Habitat is size is 7,000 gallons of water. 
  
• The figure 8 shape of the pool gives the sturgeon an easy way to constantly swim similar to the ray pool. One side of the touch tank is deeper than the other allowing the sturgeon to have refugees if they do not want to interact with guests. This allows the animals to have choice and control over their interactions with guests. Per AZA (Association of Zoo’s and Aquariums) regulations all animals must have a refugee available to them. 
  
• This is a good talking point for if the sturgeon are not going up to the sides 
  
• This is also a good talking point if guests feel uncomfortable with the touch tanks. Some may think it is “sad” to see these animals in this position so it is beneficial to explain this side of animal care that they may not know. You can task the guest, especially if they are younger, to look for animal’s refugee spots in other exhibits. It is a tricky and fun task since animal refugees are meant to blend into their habitats.
• Our sturgeon were acquired in 2014 at the conclusion of a research project by Maryland Department of Natural Resources. We estimate they were 1-2 years of age when we received them.