Dinosaurs, Airheads, and Why Humans Should Have Been Beavers

So what do these three things have in common? One word. Idaho. When most people think of whitewater rafting in Idaho the first thing that pops into their head is the Salmon River, one of the largest undammed rivers in North America. Second is probably the scenery. The beautiful alpine forest is almost as picturesque as Idaho gets, and is also home to some very unique wildlife.

One is a living dinosaur. When you whitewater raft on the main Salmon River in Idaho, many outfitters give you the opportunity to participate in catch & release fishing of White Sturgeon. They are the largest freshwater fish in North America and like the crocodiles of Africa and Australia their anatomy hasn’t changed since the dinosaur age; in about 100 million years! These giants can grow to weigh nearly 1800 pounds and be up to 20 feet long. Many live up to or beyond 100 years old, longer than the average human. If you get the opportunity to catch one of these gorgeous bony fish, take a photo and kindly release him back into the water. This is one fossil best observed naturally in the wild and not in a museum.

One of the sturgeon’s closest neighbors is a prehistoric nomad that is assumed to have migrated over the ancient land bridge that once existed between Asia and North America. Bighorn sheep are not only large, males in the Rocky Mountains region can sometimes be up to 500 pounds, but those 30 pound curved horns aren’t just for show. During the rut, they use those impressive hood ornaments to clash heads with one another, meeting with more than 1 ton of force! How on earth can they survive so many head on collisions? Their double layered skulls have oversized sinus cavities. In addition to other adaptations, this provides extra cushion for the brain so they can smack heads to their hearts’ content, sometimes as long as 20 hours. This makes the Bighorn sheep Idaho’s original thick headed, head banging airheads.

Another strange little guy you may get the opportunity to see, most likely at night, is the beaver. The North American Beaver is the third largest rodent in the world, and the largest in North America, but don’t let their “pest” status fool you. These 44 pound tree munching neighbors of the White Sturgeon and Bighorn sheep are master architects. The dams they build form artificial ponds that are perfect not only for building their own lodges, but for providing a home to other water dwellers as well and increasing plant and animal diversity in the surrounding area. If beavers were humans, or vice versa, in this age of “green living”, imagine how green and earth friendly our cities would be!

Take a walk on the wild, and slightly odd, side of Idaho and plan your whitewater rafting trip on the Salmon River today!

By Vanessa Therrien