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Wild About Illinois Fishes!
Family Acipenseridae - Sturgeon Family
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acipenseriformes
Family: Acipenseridae - Sturgeons have a skeleton made of cartilage, even though they are considered bony fishes. The mouth is located on the bottom side of the shovel-shaped head. The tail fin is deeply forked. Four large barbels are located on the bottom of the snout.
lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) [state endangered]
pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) [federally endangered]
shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus)