The population of the Baltic sturgeon is restored in Germany (photo) | Germany Information and Travel Tips

Brandenburg ● A miniature Baltic sturgeon (officially called Atlantic sturgeon) lies in the palm of a scientist at the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Fisheries (IGB). During the day, about 2,000 Baltic sturgeon fry were released into the Oder River in eastern Germany, which were bred and raised in the federal states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. They are used to form the basis of a long-term self-sustaining population on the Oder.

Scientists from Germany and other Baltic countries have been working together for a decade and a half to return sturgeon to large tributaries of the Baltic Sea, releasing fry into rivers flowing into the Baltic. 100 years ago, there were spawning grounds for adult fish in the Baltic Sea, which can grow up to 5 meters in length and weigh up to 800 kilograms. The Baltic (or Atlantic) sturgeon, which lived in the Baltic and North Seas, off the European Atlantic coast, in the Adriatic Sea, in the western and southern parts of the Black Sea, is the largest representative of the sturgeon genus in Eurasia. Only the white sturgeon that lives off the Pacific coast of North America is larger than it.

Woman releases Baltic sturgeon fry into the Oder

Since 2006, 2.4 million Baltic sturgeon fry have been released into the Oder. It is extremely difficult to revive the population. The fact is that the ability to reproduce in males of sturgeon appears at the age of 10-12 years, and in females – at the age of 14-18 years. So the first spawning of sturgeons released 15 years ago is expected in 2021. Financial and technical support for the Brandenburg reintroduction program is provided by the Brandenburg Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection (MLUK) with a grant from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

Schoolchildren are shown a dummy of an adult sturgeon

In this photo, scientists and ecologists tell Brandenburg schoolchildren about a project to revive valuable fish in the Baltic Sea and show them a dummy of an adult sturgeon. Moreover, this is not the largest sample. The fish can grow to much larger sizes.

See our gallery with images of animals that are no longer on Earth:

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Flying Squirrel Namdapha
The Indian flying squirrel Namdapha has beautiful red fur and a fluffy tail. A solid membrane connects the hind and forelimbs and allows the squirrel to stay well in the air. The flying squirrel was last seen in 1981. This is how the German artist Alexis Rockmann portrayed her.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Fernando giant tortoise
This giant turtle should inhabit the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, more specifically – on the island of Fernandina. Its existence is indicated, for example, by gnawed cactus leaves. But in general, the species is known from a single male found by members of a scientific expedition back in 1906.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Wallace’s giant bee
This giant bee, considered the largest in the world, is called the Wallace bee. It was discovered and described in Indonesia by the British naturalist, traveler, geographer and anthropologist Alfred Wallace in 1859. This bee was last seen in 1981.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Shark pondicherry
This two-meter night shark was named so because its first specimens were caught in the 19th century in the Indian province of Pondicherry. She was also seen off the coast of Oman, Vietnam, Indonesia. The last time a specimen of the Pondicherry shark fell into the hands of people in 1979.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
New Zealand bat
The habitat of this species is New Zealand and Stewart Island. New Zealand bats are the only terrestrial bats. Their leathery flying membranes along the sides of the body and limbs form folds into which the folded wings fit, like in cases. These animals were last seen in 1967. Scientists believe that the reason for their disappearance is the invasion of rats.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Mexican rabbit
This animal is predominantly nocturnal and lives in the central and southwestern regions of Mexico. Lives in the woods. The last time a Mexican rabbit was seen, however, was in the 19th century.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Atelop frog
We managed to photograph these brightly colored tailless amphibians from the toad family. They are called atelopes, or harlequins, and live (or have lived?) In the highland forests of Venezuela, where they were last seen in 1990. But even then, their habitat was only 10 square kilometers.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Himalayan vulture
The Himalayan partridge is a representative of the pheasant genus. The body length of the male is 25 centimeters, the female is much smaller. It was widespread in the Himalayas, in northwestern India, but was last seen there in 1876. However, scientists hope these birds still exist. The fact is that they do not like to fly, prefer to stay in dense undergrowth and do not rush into the eyes.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Minotaur seahorse
This dwarf marine animal, no more than 5 centimeters in size, is a mystery to scientists. Only four specimens of minotaur skates, caught by fishermen between 1927 and 1981 in the Indian Ocean, south of Australia, fell into their hands.

Animals that probably don’t exist anymore
Nepentes predator plant
And this is no longer an animal, but a plant, which, perhaps, also no longer exists. The nepentes (or pitcher) of the species Nepenthes mollis is an insectivorous predator plant. The only dried specimen is kept in the herbarium of the Botanical Garden of the Indonesian city of Bogor. It was found on the Indonesian island of Kalimantan at an altitude of about 1,500 meters above sea level.
Author: Brigitte Osterat, Natalia Koroleva