| Baikal sturgeon | |
|---|---|
| Baikal sturgeon. Stamp of the Soviet Union. 1966 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acipenseriformes |
| Family: | Acipenseridae |
| Genus: | Acipenser |
| Species: | A. baerii |
| Subspecies: | A. b. baicalensis |
| Trinomial name | |
| Acipenser baerii baicalensis Nikolskii, 1896 |
|
The Baikal sturgeon, Acipenser baerii baicalensis, is a sturgeon indigenous to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. It is a subspecies of the widely distributed Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). It resides primarily in the northern end of the lake, making considerable movements along the shore, and migrating up the Selenga River to spawn. Not long ago, sturgeons weighing 125 kilograms were not uncommon. The Baikal Sturgeon is now listed as endangered.