[6] Later explorer and mapmaker John C. Fremont reported that it was called "Rio Virgen" but did not state the origin of the name.

Hiram Chittenden speculated that Smith had later renamed the river after Thomas Virgin, who was badly wounded in an 1827 attack by Mohave people during the crossing of the Mojave Desert.

It enters southern Nevada near the town of Mesquite and empties into the Colorado at the Lake Mead reservoir, approximately 40 miles (64 km) east of Las Vegas.

Despite flowing through an arid region, the Virgin River is home to a surprisingly diverse array of plants and animals.

Southwestern Utah is located at the intersection of three physiographic regions: the Colorado Plateau, the Great Basin, and the Mojave Desert.

The exceptional landscapes and habitats of this region harbor unique plant and animal communities and species found nowhere else in the world.

The Virgin River Program was established to balance increasing human demand and maintain this unique system.

Woundfin live only one to two years, and their survival depends upon sufficient flow within the river, especially during hot summer months.

Chub is a fast, streamlined fish with a sloped forehead, humped back, and thin, rounded tail.

Listed as an endangered species, the Virgin River chub is found from Pah Tempe Hot Springs down to Halfway Wash, Nevada.

Desert Suckers are very colorful during the spring spawning season, developing bright orange and black 'racing stripes' along their sides.

The flycatcher breeds in dense, patchy environments made up of medium-sized to towering trees and shrubs at low elevations.

The flannelmouth's thick fleshy lips contain taste buds that help it find food along the bottom of the River, including aquatic invertebrates, organic debris and algae.