Sturgeon

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sturgeon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Acipenseridae
2. What is the diet?Carnivore; primarily benthic invertebrates (crustaceans, mollusks) and small fish, detected via barbels
3. What makes a sturgeon a living fossil?Sturgeons have lived since the Early Jurassic, about 174 to 201 million years ago, and still look very similar to their ancient ancestors.
4. How do sturgeons protect themselves from predators?Their bodies are covered in five rows of hard bony scutes instead of scales, giving them a natural armor that keeps predators at bay.

Scutes: Large, bony plates arranged in longitudinal rows on the body of sturgeons, serving as external armor.
Caviar: Processed, salted roe (eggs) of fish, particularly sturgeon, highly prized as a delicacy.
Anadromous: A migratory pattern where fish live in saltwater but spawn in freshwater environments.
Barbels: Sensory appendages located around the mouth of sturgeons, used for detecting prey in substrate.