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Wild About Illinois Fishes!

Family Acipenseridae - Sturgeon Family

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)