Get to know shovelnose sturgeon: identifying features, habitat, food, and life cycle.
Identification & habitat
- Scientific name: Scaphirhynchus platorynchus; also hackleback.
- Snout: Flat and shovel-shaped.
- Armor: Bony plates cover the body and tail base.
- Tail: Long upper filament, often broken off in adults.
- Barbels: Fringed, unlike lake sturgeon's smooth ones.
- Color: Light brown or buff with a pale belly.
- Size: Often a relatively small sturgeon; agency gives up to about thirty inches.
- Habitat: Flowing big-river channels with sand or gravel.
- Movement: Long migrations have been documented.
Food & behavior
- Food: Bottom-dwelling larvae of aquatic insects.
Spawning, growth & lifespan
- Maturity: Around five to seven years in the regional account.
- Longevity update: Research documents a forty-year lifespan.
Angling & the bigger picture
- Look-alike: Can be difficult to distinguish from protected pallid sturgeon.
Sources & further reading
Research checked October 18, 2026. Common sizes and ages are examples rather than hard limits. Missouri spawning dates are regional unless another location is named. Consult the current local fishing rules for the water you plan to fish.