ray-finned fish, endemic to the waters of the Missouri and lower
Mississippi River basins of the United States. Named for its pale
coloration, it is related to the much smaller shovelnose sturgeon (S.
platorhynchus). When mature at 15 years, individuals average 85 pounds
(39 kg) and 30 to 60 inches long (76 to 152 cm). The fish spawns
infrequently over its lifespan of up to a century. This sturgeon species
has remained virtually unchanged since it coexisted with the Cretaceous
dinosaurs 70 million years ago. In 1990, the pallid sturgeon became the
first Missouri River basin fish on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's
endangered species list, after sightings had greatly diminished. Loss of
habitat is thought to be responsible for its decline; much of the
Missouri River drainage system has been channeled and dammed, reducing
the gravel deposits and slow-moving side channels that are its favored
spawning areas. In an effort to save the species from extinction, pallid
sturgeon are being raised in a dozen hatcheries and released back into
the wild.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallid_sturgeon>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
220:
Emperor Xian abdicated the throne and the Han Dynasty broke
apart, beginning the Three Kingdoms period in China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms>
1886:
The London-based football club Arsenal, then known as Dial
Square, played their first match on the Isle of Dogs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Arsenal_F.C._(1886%E2%80%931966)>
1920:
Irish War of Independence: Following an Irish Republican Army
ambush of a British Auxiliary patrol in Cork, British forces burned and
looted numerous buildings in the city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Cork>
1972:
Apollo 17 (Lunar Roving Vehicle pictured), the last Apollo moon
mission, landed on the Moon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17>
2005:
A demonstration by Australians in Cronulla, New South Wales,
against recent violence towards locals turned into a race riot.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Cronulla_riots>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
spearcaster:
1. A sling-like device used to impart greater impetus to a thrown spear.
2. A soldier or guard armed with a spear used as a ranged weapon.
3. A track-and-field athlete who throws a spear or spears; a javelinist, a
javelin thrower.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spearcaster>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
All men are by nature equally free and independent, and have
certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of
society, they cannot by any compact deprive or divest their posterity;
namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring
and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and
safety.
--George Mason
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Mason>
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