Get to know pallid sturgeon: identifying features, habitat, food, and life cycle.
Identification & habitat
- Scientific name: Scaphirhynchus albus.
- Color: Pale gray-white.
- Snout: Longer and more pointed than shovelnose sturgeon.
- Barbels: Inner pair smaller; bases form a crescent arrangement.
- Belly: Bare or with scattered embedded plates.
- Habitat: Strong currents in large river channels.
- Bottom: Firm sand, often near scour features.
Food & behavior
- Food: Small fish and aquatic insect larvae.
- Feeding: Sucks food from the bottom.
Spawning, growth & lifespan
- Longevity: At least forty years in the agency account.
- Maturity: Females can take fifteen to twenty years before spawning.
Angling & the bigger picture
- Threats: Dams, habitat loss, historical overharvest, and hybridization.
- Restoration: Captive breeding, stocking, and river-habitat work.
- Conservation: Federally and Missouri endangered; an educational conservation feature.
- ID caution: Superficial resemblance to shovelnose requires careful identification.
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.