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USFWS photo <br />Pallid Sturgeon <br />Scaphirhynchus albus <br />Similiar Species: Shovelnose sturgeon <br />Identification: Bases of outer barbels usually behind inner barbels, outer barbels twice as long <br />as inner barbels, bony plates absent on belly. <br />Pallid sturgeon are almost entirely restricted to the main channel of the Missouri River and lower <br />half of the Mississippi River. The pallid sturgeon is an endangered species; therefore, it is illegal <br />to have it in your possession. Throughout its range this sturgeon is most common in Montana and <br />the Dakotas. It is less common than the shovelnose. Like the shovelnose, pallid sturgeon prefer <br />strong currents in sandy and gravel - bottomed rivers. All sturgeons, the pallid included, feed on <br />bottom - dwelling organisms such as snails and insects, but they also eat fish. Pallid sturgeon can <br />weigh as much as 65 pounds. <br />