Wildlife advocates filed a federal lawsuit Monday stating the dinosaur-like pallid sturgeon could be wiped out in Montana and North Dakota rivers if the federal government doesn't do anything about the dams that disrupt spawning.

Pallid sturgeons are known for their distinctive shovel-shaped snout. They can reach six feet in length and can live 50 years.

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Researchers said they lived during the days of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Pallid sturgeons populations have fallen sharply over the past century because dams were built along the Missouri River system. The pallid sturgeon was listed as an endangered species in 1990.

The lawyers for Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council asked a judge to make new plans to protect the last 125 pallid sturgeons from the Fort Peck Dam in Montana to Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. It also includes fish in the lower Yellowstone River.

Federal officials stated they allotted US$59 million for the upgrade of the dam to allow sturgeon access to an additional 165 miles of the river for migration and spawning.

The lawsuit, however, claims the agencies' plans would result in a larger dam and creation of an artificial side channel sturgeon won't necessarily use.

"It's one of those twisted tales of some good intentions but in the end the outcome is this monster project that a lot of the experts we are talking to have serious concerns about," said Steve Forrest with Defenders of Wildlife.

The lawsuit also claims water releases from Fort Peck dam are killing off young sturgeon in the Missouri River.

Tags Pallid sturgeon, river fish, dinosaur-like fish, marine animal, animal conservation