   the beluga  or european sturgeon (huso huso) is a species of anadromous fish in the sturgeon family (acipenseridae) of order acipenseriformes. it is found primarily in the caspian and black sea basins, and occasionally in the adriatic sea. heavily fished for the female's valuable roeâknown as beluga caviarâ the beluga is a huge and late-maturing fish that can live for 118 years.huso huso. fishbase.com. accessed on 11 january 2008 the species' numbers have been greatly reduced by overfishing and poaching, prompting many governments to enact restrictions on its trade. the most similar to the huso huso beluga is the huso dauricus kaluga, also referred to as the "river beluga". the common name for the sturgeon, as for the unrelated beluga whale, is derived from the russian word Ð±ÐµÐ»ÑÐ¹ (belyy), meaning "white". thumb|250px|a 1000-kg, 4.17-m long beluga fish from the volga river (national museum of tatarstan, kazan, russia) ==behavior== the beluga is a large predator which feeds mostly on fish. fish weighing up to half its own size are ingested. they also eat waterfowl and seal pups. due to its aggressive behavior and large mouth, it is a potential man-eater, but no attacks have been confirmed. as do many sturgeons, the beluga travels upstream in rivers to spawn. accordingly, sturgeons are sometimes likened to sea fish; however, most scientists consider them to be river fish. == size == the largest generally accepted record is of a female taken in 1827 in the volga estuary at  and . several other records of aged sturgeon exceed .wood, the guinness book of animal facts and feats. sterling pub co inc (1983), isbn 978-0-85112-235-9 these great sizes mark the beluga as the largest freshwater fish in the world, and as a rival in size to the [[ocean sunf
Animals_described_in_1758 Commercial_fish Fish_of_Asia Fish_of_Azerbaijan Fish_of_Europe Fish_of_Georgia_(country) Fish_of_Iran Fish_of_Kazakhstan Fish_of_Russia Fish_of_Turkey Fish_of_the_Adriatic_Sea Fish_of_the_Black_Sea Fish_of_the_Caspian_Sea IUCN_Red_List_critically_endangered_species Megafauna_of_Eurasia Sturgeons