It can be considered the largest freshwater fish on Globe. If information from unverified sources is correct, then beluga sturgeon in the past, as an exception, reached even nine meters. In this case, it takes second place among the largest fish from fresh water.
Maximum measured beluga specimens taken in different years, do not reach five meters:
- 4.24 meters is the length of a female caught in the Caspian Sea near the mouth of the Ural River (1926). It was a 75-year-old fish that weighed more than one ton.
- 4.17 meters - the length of the beluga from the lower reaches of the Volga (early 20th century). The age of this specimen was estimated at sixty to seventy years.
- 4.20 meters – the length of a specimen caught in the Volga River delta (1989). Now a stuffed beluga can be seen in the museum of the city of Astrakhan. There is no information about age.
If we rely on reliable data on measurements of the length of the largest individuals, then the beluga fish still yields first place to the kaluga, the largest measured specimen of which exceeded five meters and was equal to five meters and sixty centimeters.
If we analyze the weight of beluga fish caught in different years and documented, we can assume that the largest individual of this species still greatly exceeded five meters. Published in 1861, “Research on the State of Fisheries in Russia” reported on a huge beluga caught in 1827 in the lower reaches of the Volga, weighing one and a half tons (1,500 kilograms). If these figures are compared with the weight of an individual 4 meters 24 centimeters long, which was more than one ton (1000 kilograms), then the reality of the existence of a beluga measuring more than five meters becomes obvious. After all, the 1,500-kilogram fish caught in 1827 was probably about 6 meters long or more.
Thus, the maximum measured weight of the beluga fish (1500 kg) is the criterion for recognizing it as the largest freshwater fish. And Kaluga takes second place, since its Weight Limit estimated at one ton (1000 kilograms).
Appearance Features
The description of the beluga fish is very reminiscent of its relative kaluga:
- Long body, like a huge spindle gray, lighter in the abdominal part.
- The caudal fin is unequally lobed with the upper lobe almost twice the size of the lower one.
Below is a photo of a beluga fish, in which all the descriptions of the features of its appearance are clearly visible.
The beluga has a pointed but short snout, under which there is a huge crescent-shaped mouth that extends over the head and two pairs of whiskers with clearly visible leaf-like appendages along the entire length of each antennae. In the photo of the beluga fish, you can clearly see both the mouth and the leaf-like appendages on the whiskers.
How can one distinguish between these two huge fish from the sturgeon family of the order Sturgeon and those belonging to the same genus Huso? After all general description Beluga fish is almost the same as for kaluga, but there are clearly visible differences. Kaluga (Huso dauricus) differs from beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) in the structure of its antennae, located under the elongated snout. Watch a video of how Moskvarium guides show these differences during the tour.
Lifestyle and distribution
Beluga sturgeon is migratory, as are salmon. As an adult, it lives in seas with different salinities:
- In the Caspian and Seas of Azov(salinity from twelve to thirteen ppm).
- In the Black Sea, the salinity of which is from seventeen to eighteen ppm.
- In the Mediterranean Sea, with high salinity, like in the ocean - about thirty-five ppm.
Belugas enter rivers to breed:
- From the Caspian Sea they go to the Volga, Kura, Ural and Terek to spawn. In past years, beluga whales ascended to spawning grounds located quite high in the Volga River basin. They even reached Tver, entered the Kama River and moved to its upper reaches. Currently, this is no longer observed.
- From the Sea of Azov, beluga goes to the Don to spawn, and in very small numbers to the Kuban. In the past, along the Don, spawning adults rose very high, now - no higher than the Tsimlyansk hydroelectric station.
- From the Black Sea greatest number sexually mature individuals are sent for spawning to the Dniester, Danube and Dnieper, since it is the northwestern part of the Black Sea waters that is the main habitat of beluga in this sea. In past years, as in the spawning rivers of other seas, during reproduction, fish were observed moving very high in the basin of each of the listed rivers. For example, along the Dnieper, rare specimens were noted even near Kiev.
Reproduction and hybridization
Beluga is a long-liver, living up to the age of one hundred years. If Pacific salmon are able to spawn only once in their life and die immediately, then beluga spawns many times during their life. Having finished spawning, adult individuals return to the sea and continue to feed until the next spawning. Fish with this lifestyle that migrate to rivers to reproduce are called anadromous.
Beluga caviar is dark gray with a silver tint, quite large (up to 2.5 millimeters in diameter) and sticky. It is deposited on the bottom, where it adheres to various substrates. The fry that emerge from the eggs are also rather large – from fifteen to twenty-four millimeters. Almost immediately after hatching, they roll into the sea. It happens that individual specimens can remain in rivers for several years (from five to six).
IN natural conditions There are hybrids of beluga with other species of sturgeon, for example, with sterlet, sturgeon, thorn and others. The result artificial breeding is a hybrid called bester: the result of crossing a beluga with a sterlet. Bester is quite resilient and is successfully grown both in reservoirs and in pond farms. He was settled in the Sea of Azov, where he feels good.
Timing of puberty and fertility
Beluga males become sexually mature earlier (at the age of thirteen to eighteen years). Females begin spawning at the age of sixteen, and some at twenty-seven, but most of them first participate in spawning at the age of 22. The beluga sturgeon living in the Sea of Azov matures earlier than other populations: males can spawn as early as twelve years of age.
In Huso huso (beluga whale), fertility varies among females different sizes: from half a million eggs to one million. It's rare to have five million. IN different rivers females of the same size can have markedly different fecundities. For example, there is evidence that in the Volga large individuals (about two and a half meters long) spawn approximately a little more than 900 thousand eggs. In the Kura River, females of the same size lay slightly less than 700 thousand eggs.
Migrations and nutrition
When migrating to rivers to spawn, most beluga populations spawn in the same year. These are spring fish. But there are a number of fish that winter in the river and spawn the following year. They spend the winter in holes located at the bottom of the river, spawn in the spring, and then return to the sea.
Belugas are predators; the main diet consists of fish. The hatched fry immediately begin to predatory. While feeding in the sea, belugas eat mainly fish, such as herring, gobies, sprat), and can also eat shellfish. Sometimes baby seals (pups) of seals were found in the stomachs of beluga sturgeons from the Caspian Sea. Belugas going to spawn in the waters of the Volga usually do not feed.
Man and beluga
Beluga has always been and is now a very valuable commercial species. Not only caviar and meat are used for food, but even the chord from which viziga is made. And swim bladders are dried to prepare a special glue, which is used in winemaking to clarify wine.
In the Sea of Azov, there is currently a decline in the number of beluga sturgeon.
There are several reasons:
- Destruction of natural spawning grounds in rivers, which occurred as a result of the construction of hydroelectric power stations.
- Small natural spawning population.
- Shortage of producers for effective artificial reproduction.
- Too much fishing for a long time.
In the Sea of Azov, since 1986, there has been a ban on beluga fishing. In the International Red Book, beluga has protective status as a species on the verge of extinction.
Beluga is the most close-up view among freshwater fish. Even in historical documents you can find mention of it. Previously, in times ancient Rus', only the king and his close princes could eat it. Only for them it was brought specially from the Caspian Sea. And in those days they were already talking about its incredibly large size. There is even evidence. But that was a long time ago. Those days have passed, and nowadays such huge fish are no longer found.
Beluga fish
Beluga is amazing fish long-lived Many claim that she can live more than a hundred years. And in such a long time she reaches gigantic size. This type is the most great view on the planet. Oddly enough, but the beluga throws the game only a few times throughout its entire life. long life. In this case, the mass of caviar reaches up to half a ton.
In order to lay eggs, belugas swim far into rivers that flow into the sea, and if they do not make sure that this place is safe, then they simply do not spawn, but swim back. And the caviar dissolves on its own over time. Young fish begin to lay eggs from mid-spring until autumn. She lays her eggs in the deepest places with a rocky bottom and strong currents. The caviar itself is very large in size, like Walnut. And the number of such eggs reaches several million.
Gallery: beluga fish (25 photos)
How does she look
This view applies to the sturgeon family. Beluga has five rows of bony scutes that are located along the body, and its head is long and elongated. The lower part of the head has four whiskers. The nose is pointed and slightly translucent. This is due to the fact that it does not have bone brushes. Her mouth is very wide, and upper lip thick and hanging over him. The body is quite thick and looks like a cylinder. She doesn't have a spine, but instead has cartilage. It grows up to four meters, and its weight can reach a ton.
Its meat is quite tough, but tasty. Many dishes and snacks are prepared from it. And caviar is the most expensive in the world. This type of fish is a predator, so it feeds on fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. But there were cases when fishermen, when ripping open her belly, even found ducks.
At sea they live alone. Puberty occurs, on average, after fifteen years, and at fifty it already fades away.
The individual overwinters in river pits so that with the onset of spring they can rise to the surface and lay eggs. Young fish, which are not yet capable of laying eggs, also go into rivers or remain in the sea, but not for long. great depth. Adults do not go anywhere and spend the winter in the sea at great depths. When cold weather sets in, the beluga's body is covered with a large layer of mucus, after which it hibernates until spring. But before that, she carefully stocks up on food for the entire winter period.
In nature, beluga can form hybrids, such as:
- Bester - crossing with sterlet;
- With fish spike;
- Sturgeon;
- Sevruga.
Where does the beluga live?
This type of fish can be found in the Black, Azov, Caspian, Azov, Mediterranean and Adriatic seas.
When the time comes for spawning, there is a chance of meeting it in rivers such as Terek, Don, Kama and Volga. Those females that do not have time to lay eggs remain in these rivers for the winter.
The largest beluga
The largest representative of this species was caught back in 1922 in Russia in the Caspian Sea. Her weight was 1224 kilograms, besides, it came with caviar. And it is still a leader in the world.
When you look at the photograph confirming this fact, you simply cannot believe that this is true. This fish looks more like a monster.
There are several more examples confirming the enormous size of this fish. Anyone can see this giant fish in the Kazan Museum. She was stuffed. When she was caught, her weight reached a whole ton, and her size was 4.17 meters.
Another copy can be seen in the Astrakhan Museum. This fish was caught in the Volga and reached its maximum weight - a ton, or more precisely, 966 kilograms. The length of this beluga was slightly less than six meters. According to sources, poachers caught this fish, gutted the eggs from it, and threw away the fish itself. Fearing that they might be imprisoned, they reported this discovery to the museum staff. So this fish turned into a giant stuffed animal.
Reasons for confusion
You can often find people who confuse beluga with other types of fish. Why? And it’s all very simple: the word “beluga” used to refer to whales. Everyone knows that whales are undoubtedly larger than beluga. As a result, incorrect facts appeared that a beluga weighing about two tons had been caught. Perhaps it was just a whale, also called a beluga whale. But beluga whales are distinguished not only by their enormous mass, but also by the fact that they can sing. Such confusion also occurs abroad. There, beluga is designated by a word such as sturgeon. In this regard, when catching large fish of the sturgeon family, it is classified as beluga.
The Azov beluga is different from the rest wide and short head, wide snout and forehead, as well as tall body. Beluga also grows much faster in the Sea of Azov than in other basins. The main place where this fish lays eggs is the Don River. Migration occurs from March to December. Juveniles feed on fry. Larger individuals feed on gobies and crustaceans. There is even evidence that they can even eat jellyfish and ctenophores. As a result of the reduction in the number of gobies, which they mainly feed on, there was a decrease in the number of this fish.
How to catch this type of fish
Today this fish fishing is strictly prohibited. But if you are engaged in sport fishing, you can try to catch it. What is needed for that? First of all, you need to purchase special gear that will not harm the fish. If you do manage to catch this fish, you will not be able to eat it, because according to the rules of sport fishing, it must be measured, weighed, photographed, and then released back into the water.
For success to be obvious, it must be caught in rivers such as the Volga or Don. For bait, it is better to take small fish or raw meat. But be careful - this fish is very strong, it can easily capsize the boat. Currently, the largest individual has been caught, weighing 300 kilograms.
Reasons for the disappearance of the beluga
All this led to a reduction in the number of this species, it began to lay eggs rarely and became small in size.
Currently, this type of fish is listed in the Red Book. Special services fight poachers. In many cities and countries around the world, it is bred artificially to maintain the numbers of endangered fish. Thanks to all this, there is hope that there will be a lot of this fish again and large sizes. And if not us, then our children or grandchildren will be able to see the giants with their own eyes.
Beluga (lat. Huso huso) is a species of ray-finned fish of the order Sturgeon, family Sturgeon, genus Beluga.
Beluga - oldest fish on the planet, which appeared on earth over 200 million years ago. The only closest relative of the beluga is the kaluga, an inhabitant of the river basins of the Far Eastern region.
What does a beluga look like?
Beluga is considered the largest of all freshwater fish. Body adult reaches a length of 4.2 m, and weighs about 1.5 tons, with females slightly larger than males.
The beluga's thick, cylindrical body is covered with five rows of bone formations - scutes, and noticeably tapers towards the tail. The bone plates covering the head, sides and belly are poorly developed. More durable shields, 13 in number, are located on the back and perform a protective function.
Like all ray-finned fish, the fins of the beluga are distinguished by the presence of long and sharp, jagged rays: the dorsal contains at least 60 rays, the anal from 20 to 40.
The elongated head ends in an upturned, pointed nose, which is slightly translucent due to the absence of bony scutes. The beluga's mouth is quite wide, but does not extend beyond the sides of the head; a fleshy upper lip hangs over it. The antennae, located on the sides of the lower jaw, are wider and also longer than those of most sturgeons and perform an olfactory function.
The beluga's back is greenish or ash-gray in color, its belly is white or light gray, and its nose is characteristically yellow.
Where does the beluga live?
Belugas are migratory fish, and most They spend their lives in the waters of the Black, Azov and Caspian seas, and migrate to rivers only during the breeding season, and after spawning they go back to the sea.
By nature, belugas are solitary. Adults and mature individuals live at great depths; juveniles prefer shallow water, not far from the mouth of the river.
In summer, after spawning, the fish rests at medium depths and then fattens before hibernation. Before the onset of cold weather, the body of the beluga is covered with a “fur coat” of a thick layer of mucus, and the fish falls into a state of suspended animation until spring.
What does beluga eat?
Large fish need a lot of food, and the size of individual individuals directly depends on the diet: the better the fish eats, the larger the size it reaches. Beluga's main food is different kinds fish, and the beluga begins to prey at a very young age, as a fry.
Adults successfully hunt both seabed, and in the water column. The favorite foods of beluga are gobies, herring, sprat, sprat, anchovies, roach, anchovy, as well as representatives of the numerous carp family. A certain part of the diet consists of crustaceans and mollusks, and even small animals, for example, baby Caspian seals or waterfowl.
Beluga jumps out of the water. Beluga breeding
Belugas are long-livers of the animal world, some specimens live up to 100 years, so they reach reproductive age. Males are ready to breed at the age of 13-18 years, females mature at 16-27 years.
Spawning occurs in different time of the year and depending on this, beluga of the spring and autumn runs are distinguished.
Spring beluga enters rivers from late January until almost summer. The autumn beluga begins its migration at the end of summer and ends in December, so it is forced to winter at the bottom of the river in deep holes, and begins to reproduce only next spring.
Each sexually mature individual does not reproduce every year, but at a certain interval, usually 2-4 years. The spawning grounds of beluga pass along deep rocky ridges, amidst fast currents.
The fertility of a female depends on her size, but in any case, the amount of eggs spawned is 1/5 of her own body. The average amount of caviar is from 500 thousand to a million.
Dark gray eggs, 3 mm in diameter, look like peas. Thanks to its increased stickiness, caviar sticks perfectly to cold underwater rocks. At a water temperature of + 12-13 degrees, the incubation period is only 8 days.
Once born, the fry immediately switch to higher nutrition, bypassing the diet consisting of simple organisms. Without stopping, the juveniles go to the seas, where they live until the onset of puberty.
Beluga is the largest freshwater fish and is now under threat of extinction. Man illegally kills it for valuable caviar, changes the usual spawning routes, destroys and pollutes habitats. Like many other endangered species, the beluga is truly unique. Why is this so, and which beluga is the largest in the world - read about it in the article.
Description of the species
In a large family sturgeon fish, which includes 27 species, many giants. Partly for their size, as well as for the value and nutritional value of their meat and caviar, these fish have earned the status of commercial fish. Sturgeon inhabit the waters Northern Hemisphere. The evolution of these species dates back to the Triassic period and dates back 208-245 million years. Their heyday occurred 100-200 million years ago, when dinosaurs still inhabited the earth. Since then, their appearance has remained almost unchanged.
The beluga (lat. Huso huso) stands apart in their family. Not only is she a record holder for longevity - individuals over 100 years old are known - but also for size. Beluga is deservedly considered the largest freshwater fish. The weight of the largest specimens caught reached one and a half tons! Body sizes on average range from 2 to 4 meters, although individuals up to 9 m in length have been described.
Beluga looks unusual. Looking at it, you can understand a lot about the times of dinosaurs. The fish's body seems to be encased in a shell of bone, and along the sides there are paths of sharp bone protrusions. The beluga's mouth is framed with antennae, which are responsible for the sense of smell - it is excellent in these fish. But this predator has no teeth. The body color is dark gray, with a greenish tint, the belly is almost white.
Beluga grows throughout its life, and since it can live a long time, its size will be appropriate. Unfortunately, in our time, due to uncontrolled fishing, habitat pollution, changes in habitual migration routes and general deterioration environmental situation, the life expectancy of the beluga has been greatly reduced.
Habitats
This giant is found in the Black, Caspian and Azov seas. To spawn, it rises along the Volga to the upper reaches of the Kama. Beluga was also found in the Danube, until a hydroelectric power station was built on this river, and the spawning routes were blocked.
Nutrition
Beluga is a predator fish. It can feed on mollusks, worms, and insects, but its main “dish” is fish. Even beluga fry are predators. Large belugas can even swallow seal pups - they are sometimes found in the stomachs of Caspian representatives of the species. Feeling hungry after spawning, beluga females even grab inedible objects: driftwood, stones.
Such giant creatures can find enough food only in the sea, those subspecies that prefer to live in fresh water, huge size don't reach.
Reproduction
Beluga emerges from the sea and rises high in rivers to spawn. They spawn only in fresh water, but can live in both fresh and salt water. Belugas spawn several times in their lives. After spawning, it rolls back into the sea.
Belugas take a long time to reach sexual maturity. Males mature in the second decade of life, and females generally only reach 22-25 years of age.
Sturgeon fish are unusually prolific; depending on the size of the fish, the number of eggs can range from 500 thousand to a million. There is evidence that large, by today's standards, 2.5-2.6 m long, Volga beluga sturgeons lay an average of 937 thousand eggs, and the same size Kura beluga eggs - an average of 686 thousand. The fry live in the delta and on the seashore.
Belugas can spawn only in very clean water. If the reservoir is polluted, the females refuse to spawn, and the eggs that have matured in their body dissolve after some time. The presence of a beluga in a pond indicates favorable environment and good environmental conditions.
Most individuals are caught by poachers when they are still young, having just reached sexual maturity, which means they only have time to spawn once. The survival rate of eggs and fry is only 10% of total number spawned eggs, so the beluga population is very poorly replenished.
Normally, spawning occurs in one individual up to 10 times during its life, since due to its size and life expectancy, it needs from 2 to 4 years to recover between spawning periods.
Record breakers
Some of the caught specimens are truly amazing in their size. Many of them have records confirming their size and weight. Who is the record holder among belugas:
- There is evidence of beluga whales weighing 2 tons and reaching 9 m, but they are not documented;
- In 1827, in the lower reaches of the Volga, a beluga weighing 90 pounds / 1.5 tons / 9 m long was caught, according to “Research on the State of Fisheries in Russia” dated 1861;
On May 11, 1922, a female beluga weighing 1224 kg was caught in the Caspian Sea, 146.5 kg of caviar was found in her, her head weighed 288 kg, and her body - 667 kg.
A beluga of the same size was also caught in the Caspian Sea in 1924, and 246 kg of caviar was found in it.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a beluga 4.17 m long and weighing a ton was caught in the lower reaches of the Volga. Her age was estimated at 60-70 years. A stuffed specimen of this individual is now kept in the National Museum of Tatarstan in Kazan;
Another stuffed beluga, which weighed 966 kg and grew to 4 m 20 cm, is presented in the Astrakhan Museum. This fish was also caught in the Volga delta in 1989, moreover, by poachers. Having removed the eggs, they anonymously reported such an unusual catch. A truck was needed to transport the carcass. Her age was estimated at 70-75 years.
On late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century there is a lot of evidence of the capture of fish weighing 500-800 kg. Currently, due to various unfavorable factors, belugas rarely reach more than 250 kg. An interesting fact is that all the largest belugas are females. Male belugas are always significantly smaller than females.
Recently, industrial fishing of this fish has been prohibited, and it is included in the Red Book of Threatened Species. Despite this, poachers cleverly circumvent all prohibitions, because the price of beluga caviar on the black market in Russia reaches $600 per kilogram, and abroad - $7000!
Poaching is much more dangerous than industrial fishing, since it does not take into account either seasonality or the preservation of the population, and, probably, in the not very distant future such unique look may be completely destroyed and descendants will know about it only from evidence in the archives.
Beluga is the largest fish of the sturgeon family, living in the Caspian, Black and Azov seas and entering nearby rivers to spawn. Under favorable conditions, it can live more than 100 years and, unlike its Pacific relatives, does not die after spawning. Accordingly, it has been growing all this time, and I think everyone will be interested to know what size the largest one reached. big beluga in the world.
The largest beluga is always a female, since males are almost twice as small. The fish reaches sexual maturity at the age of 16, but more often after 20. Black caviar makes up about 20% of the entire body and contains from 500 thousand eggs (5-7 million in the largest ones). And spawning does not occur simultaneously, but over the course of 3 spring months. That is why beluga is always desirable for caviar hunters - for which it paid.
Now this fish is listed in the Red Book because of its value - black caviar, the main delicacy. You won’t find it on official sale, but on the black market in Russia a kilogram of caviar costs from $600, and abroad - from $7,000.
Even under the most favorable conditions, 90% of eggs do not grow into adults. Plus, in the last century, people have “taken care” that in some rivers the beluga has disappeared completely (for example, before the construction of dams on the Dnieper, it rose to Zaporozhye and some specimens were caught even near Kiev) and now the situation everywhere is more than deplorable. But the beluga has always been an indicator of the health of the ecosystem.
Poachers and hydroelectric dams prevent the fish from growing and the largest fish caught in the last 50 years was a fish weighing 800 kg in 1970 and 960 kg in 1989. The last scarecrow, 4.2 m long and about 70 years old, is now kept in the Astrakhan Museum. The fish was caught by poachers, the eggs were gutted, and an anonymous call was made to report the trophy, which required a truck to transport. Today, the largest beluga in the world and you can find a video about it on YouTube, where they show a specimen weighing about 500 kg.
The book “Research on Fisheries in Russia” reports that the largest beluga caught in the Volga was about 9 meters long and weighed 90 pounds (1440 kg). This individual claims to be the largest freshwater fish on Earth, it’s a pity that the photo itself big beluga was not preserved to confirm the record, since it happened in 1827.
In 1922 and 1924, the same fish were caught near the mouth of the Volga and in the Caspian Sea - 75 pounds (1224 kg), where the body weighed about 700 kg, the head weighed 300 kg, and the rest was caviar. IN National Museum Kazan houses a 4-meter stuffed fish caught in the lower reaches of the Volga. Her age is 60-70 years old.
It should be remembered that the largest beluga in the world is the one that was caught and officially recorded. But the fishermen came across specimens for which they did not have enough gear or strength, and they died safely in their environment, giving rise to numerous legends about river monsters. Which, by the way, has every reason, because seal cubs (length - from a meter) have been found more than once in the stomachs of captured Caspian predators..
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