It’s said beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To some, a long-snouted, murky white, boneless bottom feeder native to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers – known as the pallid sturgeon – might not sound very beautiful. To others, the endangered fish is an essential part of the river ecosystem – making it a beautiful creature worth saving. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, pallid sturgeon can live up to 40 years and weigh upwards of 100 pounds. Once harvested commercially, the pallid sturgeon is now listed as endangered, in part due to alterations to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. However, efforts aimed at restoring the population like captive breeding, juvenile stocking and habitat restoration, have made meaningful progress over the past few decades. Still, much remains to be learned, and continued research is essential to fully recover this ancient species.