Name:

Shovelnose Sturgeon

 

Other Common Names:

Hackleback, switchtail, sand sturgeon, flathead sturgeon

 

Scientific Name:

Scaphirhynchus platorynchus

Length:

Range from 21 to 34 inches with an average of 25 inches

 

Identification:

Buff or olive drab above, lighter below; covered by heavy plate-like scales; flattened snout; long, threadlike filament attached to top lobe of tail fin (often missing)

 

Photo and text courtesy of:

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Iowa Fish and Fishing by James R. Harlan and Everett B. Speaker with James Mayhew; color illustrations by Maynard F. Reece

Fishes of Wisconsin by George C. Becker

 

 

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