Name: |
Shovelnose Sturgeon |
Other Common
Names: |
Hackleback, switchtail, sand sturgeon, flathead sturgeon |
Scientific Name: |
Scaphirhynchus platorynchus |
Length: |
Range from 21 to 34 inches with an average of 25 inches |
Identification: |
Buff or olive drab above, lighter below; covered by heavy plate-like scales; flattened snout; long, threadlike filament attached to top lobe of tail fin (often missing) |
Photo and text
courtesy of: |
Iowa Department of Natural Resources Iowa Fish and Fishing by James R. Harlan and Everett B. Speaker with James Mayhew; color illustrations by Maynard F. Reece Fishes of Wisconsin by George C. Becker |