Beluga (sturgeon)

The Beluga sturgeon is a super-duper big fish that lives in the sea but also swims up rivers! It's one of the largest bony fish in the world, which means its skeleton is made of bone, not cartilage like sharks. Think of a really, really long submarine – that's how big some of these fish can get!

They have a long snout and a body covered in bony plates instead of scales. They are ancient creatures, swimming the seas for a very, very long time.

These giant fish love to swim in big salty seas called the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. They are anadromous, which is a fancy word meaning they live in saltwater but swim into freshwater rivers to lay their eggs. It's like they have two homes!

They used to be found in the Adriatic Sea too, but now they mostly stick to the Caspian and Black Seas. These seas are huge bodies of water, perfect for a giant fish to explore.

Beluga sturgeons are carnivores, which means they love to eat other animals! Their favorite snacks include fish, crustaceans (like crabs and shrimp), and sometimes even small seals. They use their long snouts to sniff out their food along the bottom of the sea or river.

Imagine being able to smell your dinner from far away! They are powerful hunters, using their size to their advantage to catch their meals.

The most amazing thing about the Beluga sturgeon is its eggs, called caviar! Beluga caviar is super expensive and considered a delicacy, meaning it's a very fancy food. Sadly, people have fished for these fish so much to get the caviar that there aren't many left.

This is why scientists are working hard to protect them, because they are critically endangered, meaning they are in big trouble and need our help to survive.