Sturgeon typically range in color from a light neutral color to dark brown and have a white under b… Sturgeons are popular in the food industry as a source of caviar. Gulf sturgeon have a toothless, vacuum-like mouth that projects from the lower surface of the head and four whisker-like barbels. The backbone is cartilaginous, like those of sharks, as are the five rows of external scutes that protect the head and top portion of the body. Sturgeons are prehistoric species that date back to the time of dinosaurs. These include the gulf sturgeon and the Gulf of Mexico sturgeon. Common names for this sturgeon are few due to the very limited distribution range. The Gulf sturgeon lives in the northern Gulf of Mexico, bays, estuaries and in major rivers in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Adult fish are bottom feeders, feeding primarily on invertebrates in the Gulf of Mexico and its estuaries. The gulf sturgeon spends most of the year in freshwater, where it reproduces, and migrates to saltwater in the fall. In early spring, the gulf sturgeon return to … The Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, is a large, primitive fish that has bony plates, or "scutes," rather than scales and a hard, extended snout. The Gulf sturgeon is a sub-species of the Atlantic sturgeon that can be found from Lake Pontchartrain and the Pearl River system in Louisiana and Mississippi to the Suwannee River in Florida. The Gulf sturgeon, also known as the Gulf of Mexico sturgeon, is one of seven species of sturgeon found in North America.