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Sturgeon leaps from river, knocks Florida teen unconscious

CHIEFLAND (Florida) — Florida wildlife authorities say a teenager was knocked unconscious by a sturgeon jumping from the Suwannee River.

Screenshot of a jumping sturgeon on the Suwannee River, Florida. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission/Youtube

Screenshot of a jumping sturgeon on the Suwannee River, Florida. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission/Youtube

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CHIEFLAND (Florida) — Florida wildlife authorities say a teenager was knocked unconscious by a sturgeon jumping from the Suwannee River.

It is the second strike involving that type of fish in two weeks on a north Florida river.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the sturgeon are jumping just as they have for millions of years. Occasionally Florida boaters get in their way.

Authorities say 14-year-old Heavyn Nash of Fanning Springs was boating with family on Sunday (May 31) in Manatee Springs State Park when a sturgeon up to 1.83m long leapt into the boat, knocking her out. She was treated at a hospital.

Another sturgeon crashed into a boat’s windshield on May 23 on the Santa Fe River.

Sturgeon can leap more than 2.13m out of the water. The protected fish average 18.1kg. AP

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