The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is an endangered species of 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