Each spring, the toothless, bottom-feeding giants make their way from Lake Winnebago in eastern Wisconsin up the Fox and Wolf rivers to spawn.

WSJ: Standing Guard for the Sturgeon

Inside the North American Fur Auction, a reeking 15, 000-square-foot mausoleum, white-coated dealers from around the world pick among the 5.5 million stiff pelts--lynx, bobcat, mink, muskrat, fox, beaver and timber wolf among them.

FORBES: Adventures In The Skin Trade