According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, how many mid-lateral plates do adult White Sturgeon possess?
Answer
38 to 48 plates
The count of scutes, particularly those along the mid-lateral row, serves as a crucial metric for physical assessment and population tracking for conservation biologists. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has established a specific range for adult White Sturgeon in this region, indicating that they possess between 38 and 48 mid-lateral plates. While researchers must account for regional variations, such as the Montana population having counts between 36 and 48 lateral scutes, the 38 to 48 range cited by the CDFW represents a key diagnostic criterion for assessing adult specimens.

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