HEIDI J. MARKEY / PVT The desert bighorn sheep is one of Nevada's outdoors symbols, along with the tule duck, the Lahontan cutthroat trout, and the desert tortoise. Advertisement

With Nevada Day coming up next Friday, Nevadans young and old may want to celebrate all things unique to Nevada. A good place to start is with Nevada's state symbols.

"There are many new residents and even natives of Nevada who may not be familiar with the natural representatives of our state," said Margie Klein, wildlife educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. "People may not realize it, but Nevada's state symbols range from wildlife to minerals. "

The mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) is Nevada's state bird and with its bright blue coloring is the most brilliant of the state symbols.

As is true with many species, it is the male that exhibits this coloring, while the female is brown and blue. The Mountain bluebird is a member of the thrush family, has a clear warbling song and lives at high elevations.

Sometimes this bird is called the "bluebird of happiness," after a children's story written in the early 1900's, Klein said.

Nevada's state reptile is the hard-shelled desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), the best known federally protected species in the state.

The tortoise is native to the Mojave Desert and brumates through the winter months before showing up again after leaving its burrow in early spring.

This animal eats cactus and other desert vegetation, as well as soil to glean minerals. Tortoises conserve water in their bodies and are in danger if they expel it when startled. In the wild, desert tortoises can live to be 100 years old.

With its heavy, curved horns, the desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) makes a stately silhouette against the sky and is easily recognized.

The bighorn is Nevada's state animal. Though best known as tools of battle during the rut, or mating season, its horns also circulate and cool the animal's blood during the heat of summer.

Males are called rams, females are ewes, and young are lambs. Desert, chaparral, and alpine vegetation comprise their diet. They are expert mountain climbers and usually travel in herds. Hunting of this big game species is highly regulated.

Although Nevada is the driest state in the union, it does have a state fish, the Lahontan cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki henshawi).

This large species of trout is found in many alpine streams and lakes throughout the state, as well as lowland waters where the alkali content prevents other trout species from living, said Klein.

It is the only trout that occurs in Walker Lake. The fish is named for an orange to red marking at the throat. It can reach up to forty pounds, although this is not normal.

Step further back in history and find two more state symbols that could fit into the wildlife category.

Nevada's state fossil is the Ichthyosaur (Shonisaurus) - a marine reptile, or "fish lizard" from the dinosaur age. These fossils were found in 1928 at Berlin and Nevada is the only state to possess a complete skeleton of this animal.

The Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park was named for this fossil.

Klein also said that the state artifact is the tule duck - a Native American canvasback decoy, crafted of bullrush, or "tule" stems. Eleven of these artifacts were found in 1924 at Lovelock Cave. The decoys were made by the Paiute tribe and are at least 2,000 years old.