Beluga Azov photo and description, lifestyle, nutrition and habitat of beluga

Azov Beluga (Lat. HUSO HUSO MaEOTICUS) – fish that belongs to the type of chordal, the largest representative of the sturgeon family. This species is listed in the Red Book of Eurasia, as well as in many other countries of the world. It is attributed to the first or even zero category – Almost a disappeared animal.

In the underwater world there are a huge number of large fish, in the fauna of Eurasia they are also found, although not so often. Azov Beluga is considered one of the most massive.

Appearance

Oblong and massive torso, the digging is short and in its form stupid. Has a halfmoon mouth that does not go beyond the borders of the jaw and does not go to the head sides. On the back of the back there is a large fin in which there are more than seventy rays. Small spikes are located all over the body, the number of which varies from 40-A to 50 on the sides, and on the belly – 10-12. The smallest «thorny» Located on the back.

Currently, the fish caught in the last century is considered to be a record in size, its mass was about a ton, and the length of the body is more than five meters. Now, such weights are not found, since reservoirs are polluted every year, the amount of oxygen is reduced and there are simply no possibilities for giant mammals or animals.

Lifestyle and habitat

Beluga is divided into two subspecies, which only slightly differ from each other: spring and winter. A long period of puberty is also one of the factors of extinction of large sturgeon. Males are ready for spawning only at the age of fifteen years, and females – in seventeen, if their mass is at least 60 kilograms.

The giant lives in the Azov and Black Sea, it is considered one of the main property of the fauna of Eurasia. In addition to these two seas, Beluga can be found in the Urals, Volga, Kuban or Don. And only in the Danube River its number is considered more or less acceptable, but even there have been established many measures to preserve the endangered species.

The unique structure of the body of this fish, which has been preserved since ancient times and demonstrates the approximate appearance of dinosaurs living in water, allows Beluga to adapt to almost all living conditions. The only thing that such a huge fish cannot endure is considered bad ecology and water pollution. The dimensions impose some restrictions and they need a lot of oxygen, and water with toxins does not allow them to saturate their blood with air and they quickly die.

Lives mainly at the bottom, since the weight does not allow to swim and pulls down all the time. There are no enemies, because they cannot do anything with such a huge predator. In freshwater water, it is Beluga who is considered the most dangerous hunter who puts his own orders and keeps in fear of representatives of other species.

Spawning

Since young individuals are practically not found in the rivers, one can only assume how many of them are currently exists there. Scientists have proven that already adults and formed fish are on a spawning ground once every two years. That is why it is believed that the main period of reproduction in Beluga takes place in the seas. According to Severtseva’s research, we can conclude that in the rivers it is not the same fish that has been propagated in the spring, but the individual that has already passed through this period.

The problem is that females are not able to gain the right amount of mass for reproduction by the end of their puberty, which is why only by twentyfive years they are ready to mate. Spawning takes place in rivers, t.to. It is in them that there is less chance of losing their offspring. Thousands of kilometers can swim to lay off the caviar of the Beluga. As a place for spawning, females choose a bottom filled with sand and stones.

The beginning of spawning falls on March, when the fish only wakes up after winter hibernation. The number of eggs can reach a million, but can grow into a fullfledged fish with hardly one percentage. Beluga caviar is a favorite delicacy of other fish and even people.

The first days of their life in fry are held in shallow water, where they feed on eggs of other species and develop rapidly. As soon as the kids gain their first mass and are able to resist small predators, they quickly migrate to the sea, where the next couple of decades live until the end of their puberty.

Caviar

The most expensive and valuable caviar in the world is considered black caviar, which is produced by Beluga. Its cost in the markets can reach hundreds of thousands of rubles. Due to the prohibition on the legal catch of representatives of the sturgeon family, the amount of black caviar has become even more limited and prices are increasing every year. The only way to legally taste caviar – order from those who grow Beluga artificially. But the cost of such a service is considered skyhigh and unequal for 98% of people. This price is facilitated by the costs of resources and time, which is necessary to grow and feed the fish, because before the first spangling passes more than a dozen years.

It was precisely because of the introduction of the Azov Beluga and other sturgeons in the Red Book that the rapid rise and development of business on the artificial removal of red fish began.