It has an upturned snout and the tip of the lower jaw also slopes steeply upwards.

[4] The ziege can be found in waters of the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.

[5] It can also be found in other European and Asian countries such as Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

It usually swims near the surface in estuaries and lakes, and some populations live permanently in rivers and streams.

It breeds in May and June, travelling up-river to find suitable open water locations.