{"id":47886,"date":"2025-04-12T16:22:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T21:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=47886"},"modified":"2025-04-12T16:22:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T21:22:57","slug":"the-shovel-nose-sturgeon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=47886","title":{"rendered":"The Shovel-Nose Sturgeon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Elder JA<\/strong> was contemplating the loneliness of the Canadian sturgeon, and was wondering if Texas had a sturgeon. Big Texas YES<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Lonely Canadian Sturgeon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In Texas, the shovel-nose sturgeon<\/strong> (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) is the only sturgeon species found, and it’s a threatened species in the state, primarily inhabiting the Red River below Lake Texoma reservoir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Species:<\/strong>
The shovel-nose sturgeon is a primitive fish species found in the Red River system below Lake Texoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location:<\/strong>
Its primary habitat is the Red River below Denison Dam (Lake Texoma Reservoir).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conservation Status:<\/strong>
In Texas, the shovel-nose sturgeon is considered a threatened species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Sturgeon:<\/strong>
While the shovel-nose sturgeon is the only sturgeon species found in Texas, the Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) is a subspecies of the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and is found off the Texas Gulf Coast.<\/p>\nGoogle Gemini<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The shovelnose sturgeon<\/strong> (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus<\/em>) is the smallest species of freshwater sturgeon native to North America. It is often called hackleback, sand sturgeon, or switchtail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shovelnose sturgeon, as its distribution represents, is impacted very little by turbidity. The Missouri River and the Mississippi River systems tend to carry high sediment loads. Here the sturgeon inhabits the open channel or main channel areas of the large rivers. It lives on the bottom, often in areas with swift current and sand or gravel bottom. As with many riverine fish species, the shovelnose sturgeon does not have a restricted home range and may travel long distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By MONGO – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The shovelnose sturgeon feeds on the bottom, using its highly protrusible mouth to suck up its food. The diet is mainly aquatic insect larvae, consisting principally of mayflies, true flies (Diptera), and caddisflies. The sturgeon also feed on crustaceans, worms, and small fish. As a result of bottom feeding, it is a host to the glochidia (larvae) of several species of freshwater mollusc, including Quadrula pustulosa (pimpleback), Obovaria olivaria (hickorynut) and Lampsilis teres (yellow sandshell). It is the only known host of the hickorynut mussel.<\/p>\nWikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Not the Only Sturgeon in Texas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Sturgeon <\/strong>is an unincorporated community in Cooke County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 10 in 2000<\/strong>[1]<\/sup>. It is located within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex[2]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/sup> 10 in 2000<\/strong> sounds like a Borg thing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[2]<\/sup> Part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Primitive Fish<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Though it sounds pejorative, the sturgeon is classified as a primitive fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sweet Dreams!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Jawless fish brains more similar to ours than previously thought<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers at the RIKEN Evolutionary Morphology laboratory and other institutions in Japan have shown that complex divisions in the vertebrate brain first appeared before the evolution of jaws, more than 500 million years ago. Published in Nature, the study shows that two elements of brain genoarchitecture thought to be unique to jawed vertebrates are actually present in two jawless fish\u2013the hagfish and lamprey.<\/p>\nPsyPost<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Aren’t We All People of the Fish?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Absolutely right, Professor JPZ of the Gilled Lineage!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tetrapodomorphs<\/strong> are a group of lobe-finned fish (like Tiktaalik<\/strong>) that include the ancestors of all four-limbed vertebrates \u2014 tetrapods<\/strong> \u2014 which means us, frogs, birds, mammals, lizards, and even that overly enthusiastic neighbor who runs barefoot at dawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These fishy ancestors had:<\/p>\n\n\n\n