This video (5:34) is about Lake Sturgeon. John Lyons, Wisconsin fish expert and Curator of Fishes at the UW-Madison Zoology Museum, joins Anne Moser and Titus Seilheimer to dissect a lake sturgeon.
Educators, parents, and students- find a worksheet to accompany this video here.
Sturgeon spawning is a yearly event triggered by water temperature—about 54 degrees Fahrenheit—and it in turn triggers a migration of spectators, researchers, wardens, and volunteer guards. They gather on the banks of Wisconsin’s Wolf River and its tributaries where the fish journey to spawn on the rocky banks from where they themselves hatched years before. It’s truly a sight to behold, and parents and grandparents bring children of all ages to witness the event, flocking to viewing areas constructed just for that purpose. Many of the fish are older than the parents, and some are contemporaries of the grandparents. All of the sturgeon look like the ancient creatures they are—nearly unchanged for one hundred fifty million years. Visit for more information about Winnebago sturgeon spawning.
