Acipenser Oxyrinchus 

Biological Overview

Habitat  

Coastal rivers  

Diet  

Tiny fish and insects.  

Role in Ecosystem  

Carnivores of rivers and used for food  

Behavior  

Atlantic surgeons will jump out of the water in the air, have seasonal migration, and dramatic surface leaping. 

Human Impact

Atlantic sturgeons are critically endangered due to overfishing 19th-century caviar boom, habitat destruction, and fragmentation. Current major impacts include vessel strikes, bycatch in commercial fishing gear, dams that block spawning migration, poor water quality, and habitat loss from dredging. 

Creative Exploration

I look like an old knight because my body is covered in bony armor plates instead of regular scales. My ancestors swam with the dinosaurs, and I’ve spent the last twelve years traveling from the freshwater Hudson River to the salty Atlantic Ocean. Using my whiskey like barbels, I vacuum up worms and snails from the sandy floor since I don’t have any teeth. The journey home is tough because I have to dodge massive ship propellers and heavy fishing nets that can trap a seven foot fish like me. 

Russell Peterson, Braxtyn Spickller, Gary Manning

Book 2