Sometimes the sturgeon is mistaken for a shark, but a closer look will exhibit many differences. The sturgeon has several rows of bony plates that extend down the back. The snout is long and on the underside, there are four sensory barbels that are used to detect food. The sturgeon's mouth is on the underside, allowing it to feed mainly on plants and animals that are sucked up from the bottom.

The Lake Sturgeon lives in lakes and rivers from the Mississippi River east through the Great Lakes into the St. Lawrence River. It is also known as the rock sturgeon and red sturgeon. They average 1.2 m (4 feet) long and weigh about 22.7 kg (50 lbs), but some are on record at 1.8 m (6 feet) and 90.7 kg (200 lbs).