For National Rivers Month, Find Out Which River Species You Are

# quiztype: personality # results title text: {score}! # wrong text: Sorry, that's incorrect. # right text: That's correct! # social text incomplete: Find Out Which River Species You Are? # social text complete: Find Out Which River Species You Are? # _imgurl : https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/post-launch-images/2020/06/rivers-quiz/ ? My favorite weekend activity is: +{River Otter} Anything fun! I’m always up for frolicking and playing games. +{Hellbender} Sleeping is always the right choice. +{Beaver} Getting things done. The weekend is when I tick all the chores off my list, and, man, that feels good. +{Salmon} Testing my strength and endurance, whether that’s climbing or swimming or covering long distances. +{Spotted Frog} Basking in the sunlight. On a sunny day, there’s nothing better. +{Damselfly} Eating. What’s for lunch? ? When I’m at a party, I’m probably: +{Spotted Frog} Listening to a friend. +{Damselfly} Flitting from one group to another. +{Hellbender} I don’t like parties. +{Beaver} Sharing stories and laughter with a couple friends. +{River Otter} The center of attention. +{Gila trout} Watching the fun from a safe distance. ? The quality I most admire and look for in a friend is: +{Beaver} Ingenuity. +{Salmon} Putting their kids before themselves. +{Damselfly} Beauty. +{Spotted Frog} It’s what’s on the inside that counts the most. +{River Otter} Spontaneity. +{Hellbender} Friends? Who needs friends? ? My favorite color is: +{Spotted Frog} Green. +{Gila trout} Orange. +{Salmon} Red. +{Hellbender} Black. +{River Otter} Blue. +{Damselfly} I love all the colors. ? My goal in life is to: +{Salmon} Save the planet. +{Spotted Frog} Relax and enjoy every day. +{Gila trout} Travel the world. +{Beaver} Construct a masterpiece. +{Hellbender} Just find peace in myself and the world around me. +{Damselfly} Make my community just a little bit better. ? My favorite dinner would be: +{Hellbender} Steak. +{Damselfly} Anything I hunt or fish myself. +{Spotted Frog} A big salad. +{River Otter} Fish sticks. +{Beaver} Broccoli. Lots of it. +{Gila trout} Tapas. ~ {Hellbender} (!img[Jay Ondreicka/Shutterstock]({_imgurl}Hellbender/16x9_M.jpg) /!) / You’re a hellbender! You’re solitary, protective of your home, and sensitive. / Also known as Allegheny alligators, mud dogs, lasagna lizards, and snot otters, the species is, in fact, neither a lizard, dog, alligator, nor otter. It’s actually a giant salamander native to the mountain streams of eastern North America, from Arkansas to New York. Hellbenders can grow up to 29 inches long and have distinctive flat heads and bodies perfect for staying underwater in shallow streams. They also have tiny eyes on the tops of their heads as well as light-sensitive cells all over their bodies, especially on their tails, to detect light in dark waters. / A happy hellbender lives in cold, undisturbed streams and especially likes thick forest cover overhead. They are nocturnal, spending their nights hunting for small fish and crayfish, and their days lounging under rocks and roots. / Hellbenders are abundant in streams and rivers that run through federally protected land, so ensuring that these curious creatures will be around for future generations to discover will require greater protections to preserve the quality of water in which they live and the land surrounding their river homes. / But fewer than 1 percent of the nation’s free-flowing rivers are federally protected as wild and scenic, and the ecological health of many other rivers has been disrupted by dams and diversions to support irrigated agriculture, power generation, flood control, and transportation. Protecting rivers that are still ecologically intact and re-establishing the natural flow of others are two of the most important things we can do to safeguard riverine species. ~ {River Otter} (!img[Joe McDonald/Getty Images]({_imgurl}riverotter/16x9_M.jpg) /!) / You’re a river otter! You’re fun-loving, family-oriented, and always up for an amusing game. / The river otter is a semiaquatic mammal found in rivers and coastal areas throughout the country. Its long streamlined body, powerful legs, and webbed toes make it an agile swimmer, and its thick insulated coat of water-repellent fur keeps it warm even in the coldest of rivers. Otters can stay underwater for up to 8 minutes, swim up to 7 mph, and dive as deep as 60 feet. / Otters are fun-loving, inquisitive animals that need lots of food to keep up with their high metabolisms. They live in social family groups, and while it appears that they spend all of their time playing, in reality most of their waking hours are devoted to searching for food. Otters are agile predators that hunt fish, crustaceans, shellfish, and whatever else they can capture. Their long whiskers help them find prey even in the dark, and they wash themselves after every meal. / After decades of population declines, reintroduction programs have been successful in restoring otters to more of their habitat throughout North America. But continued conservation efforts are critical to ensure that future generations can enjoy these wonderfully playful creatures. / These amazing creatures depend on healthy, free-flowing rivers to survive, but fewer than 1 percent of these waterways are federally protected as wild and scenic, and the ecological health of many other rivers has been disrupted by dams and diversions to support irrigated agriculture, power generation, flood control, and transportation. Protecting rivers that are still ecologically intact and re-establishing the natural flow of others are two of the most important things we can do to safeguard riverine species. ~ {Salmon} (!img[Roland Hemmi/Design Pics/Getty Images]({_imgurl}salmon/16x9_M.jpg) /!) / You’re a salmon! You’re inspiring, tenacious, and give so much to your community. / Salmon are anadromous, meaning they live in both saltwater and freshwater. They generally begin their lives in freshwater before migrating out to sea. After building up body mass in marine environments for two to five years, they return to the streams where they were born, undergoing several physiological changes to transition back to freshwater, where they spawn and begin the next generation. / Often referred to as a keystone species, salmon are important for nutrient and energy transfers from marine ecosystems to freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Every year, returning salmon bring millions of pounds of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous to nutrient-poor freshwater ecosystems and adjoining forests. Salmon are also essential food for larger animals, such as bears and wolves, that redeposit these nutrients throughout the landscape. And salmon carcasses that decay in rivers provide food for insects, smaller river creatures, such as otters, and plants and trees that grow along the banks. / Salmon also have long been at the heart of culture and economies for coastal communities. But they need free-flowing rivers to thrive, and over the past century, over-harvesting of salmon, hydropower dams that block migration routes, loss of habitat, pollution, and changing ocean conditions have come to threaten the species’ long-term survival. / These amazing creatures depend on healthy, free-flowing rivers to survive, but fewer than 1 percent of these waterways are federally protected as wild and scenic, and the ecological health of many other rivers has been disrupted by dams and diversions to support irrigated agriculture, power generation, flood control, and transportation. Protecting rivers that are still ecologically intact and re-establishing the natural flow of others are two of the most important things we can do to safeguard riverine species. ~ {Beaver} (!img[Troy Harrison/Getty Images]({_imgurl}Beaver/16x9_M.jpg) /!) / You are a beaver! You’re hardworking, communal, and creative. / Beavers are very social and live in groups called colonies. They are famously industrious and hardworking. Primarily nocturnal, beavers spend most of their waking hours eating and building. They are herbivores and munch on leaves, bark, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants. They have powerful jaws and strong teeth, which they use to fell trees to build dams and homes, often called lodges, which are dome-shaped and made from woven sticks, grasses, and moss plastered with mud. Many have an underwater backdoor for instant swimming access. Beavers use their talents to actively change ecosystems by blocking rivers and streams, creating new lakes, ponds, and floodplains. / All beavers need water to survive. They live in or around freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes, and swamps throughout North America, with the exception of the California and Nevada deserts and parts of Utah and Arizona. Beavers were once hunted almost to extinction because they were valued for their pelts and meat. No longer considered endangered, beaver populations are stable. But to maintain this status, it is essential to maintain healthy rivers where they can live and build their lodges. / These amazing creatures depend on healthy, free-flowing rivers to survive, but fewer than 1 percent of these waterways are federally protected as wild and scenic, and the ecological health of many other rivers has been disrupted by dams and diversions to support irrigated agriculture, power generation, flood control, and transportation. Protecting rivers that are still ecologically intact and re-establishing the natural flow of others are two of the most important things we can do to safeguard riverine species. ~ {Gila trout} (!img[Craig Springer/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]({_imgurl}Gilatrout/16x9_M.jpg) /!) / You’re a Gila trout! You’re colorful, unique, and have a long, rich ancestry. / The Gila trout is one of the rarest of the trout species found in the United States and has been compared to a Western sunset because of its gold, copper, and salmon coloring. / A descendant of the Pacific salmon and originally migrating from the Gulf of California, the species lives in high-elevation cold mountain streams and is native to portions of the San Francisco and Gila River drainages in New Mexico and Arizona. / The heart of Gila trout habitat is in New Mexico, at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness and the nation’s first designated wilderness, the Gila Wilderness. / A century ago, some of the first efforts to conserve fish species in the American Southwest began with the Gila trout due to threats from overfishing, habitat destruction, and competition with nonnative trout. In 1973, the Gila trout was listed as endangered, and that classification lasted until 2006, when after work by the New Mexico and Arizona fish and game departments, its status was changed to threatened. Since 2003, through the Gila Trout Recovery Plan, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has worked to improve the health of these fish through habitat restoration efforts and removal of nonnative species. Today, risks to the Gila trout include habitat alteration and degradation, competition and breeding with nonnative trout, and forest fires. / These amazing creatures depend on healthy, free-flowing rivers to survive, but fewer than 1 percent of these waterways are federally protected as wild and scenic, and the ecological health of many other rivers has been disrupted by dams and diversions to support irrigated agriculture, power generation, flood control, and transportation. Protecting rivers that are still ecologically intact and re-establishing the natural flow of others are two of the most important things we can do to safeguard riverine species. ~ {Damselfly} (!img[Amber Brooke/Flickr]({_imgurl}Damselfly/16x9_M.jpg) /!) / You are a damselfly! You’re attractive, passionate, and care about your environment. / Damselflies have many nicknames, including bog dancers and devil’s darning needles. Although the latter might raise concerns, these insects are harmless and do not sting or bite humans. They are, however, extremely carnivorous insects that live and breed near freshwater habitat, and are found on every continent besides Antarctica. Known for their stunningly vivid, iridescent colors, they can be found in just about every color of the rainbow, including turquoise, blue, green, purple, brown, and gold. They are incredible hunters both at the aquatic nymph stage and at the adult aerial stage, and help control populations of numerous insects such as flies, mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and caterpillars. / The quality of an ecosystem can be monitored by damselflies as their presence is strongly affected by factors such as water flow, pollution, and vegetation. / The destruction and alteration of freshwater habitats, including the use of pesticides, are the greatest threats to damselfly species. Without clean water, damselflies are unable to breed. An alteration of habitats through climate change may also pose a threat to damselfly populations in the future. / These amazing creatures depend on healthy, free-flowing rivers to survive, but fewer than 1 percent of these waterways are federally protected as wild and scenic, and the ecological health of many other rivers has been disrupted by dams and diversions to support irrigated agriculture, power generation, flood control, and transportation. Protecting rivers that are still ecologically intact and re-establishing the natural flow of others are two of the most important things we can do to safeguard riverine species. ~ {Spotted Frog} (!img[Paul Colangelo/International League of Conservation]({_imgurl}Frog/16x9_M.jpg) /!) / You are an Oregon spotted frog! You’re a rare creature, shy, and extremely loyal. / Named for the black spots with light centers that grace its head, back, sides, and legs, the Oregon spotted frog is both the most aquatic and most imperiled native frog in the Northwest, and requires shallow water and abundant aquatic plants for basking, rearing, forage, and cover. Adults feed on a variety of live animal prey, largely insects, while tadpoles feed on algae, rotting vegetation, and detritus. When frightened, these frogs hide in dense vegetation or under debris at the bottom of wetlands and marshes. Adult frogs hibernate during the winter in freeze-free seeps and channels near their breeding grounds and are extremely faithful to these egg-laying areas for their whole lives. / Once common in the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon spotted frog has disappeared from 95% of its range, largely due to habitat loss and the negative impact of invasive species such as the American bullfrog. Historically, it ranged from British Columbia to northern California. Now this frog is listed for protection in both Canada and the U.S. / These amazing creatures depend on healthy, free-flowing rivers to survive, but fewer than 1 percent of these waterways are federally protected as wild and scenic, and the ecological health of many other rivers has been disrupted by dams and diversions to support irrigated agriculture, power generation, flood control, and transportation. Protecting rivers that are still ecologically intact and re-establishing the natural flow of others are two of the most important things we can do to safeguard riverine species.