The Mountain Beaver

The Dilemma

The Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia Rufa) has remained unchanged for 40,000 years and is considered a “living fossil”.  They are an industrious type of rodent (minus the tail) but equally as destructive.

Biologically bound to the Pacific Northwest because of the never-ending abundance of fir trees, rhododendrons, ferns and bushy damp areas, the Mountain Beaver thrives.  They are approximately 12-20 inches in length; weigh 1-5 pounds, have long, thin, finger-like appendages for digging, a red-brown furry appearance, small ears, eyes and, unlike most rodents, don a stubby tail. Their menacing teeth are hypsodont; strong and ever-growing and their amazing incisors are perfectly constructed for stripping off bark from branches, fern fronds and other plants they ingest. (1)

Mountain Beavers require lots of water and the primary reason the Pacific Northwest is so vital for survival.  They need to drink one-third of their body weight to supplement limited kidney function.  They are herbivorous in nature,  notably illusive and rarely sighted,  but considered a nuisance. (1)(2)(3)

I was precariously introduced to my  pint-sized nemesis  while clearing brush in a secluded section of land not tended to in years.  Since I was new to this type of stewardship;  I was unaware of the possibility of treacherous underfooting until my foot fell through a tunnel wall.  I thought I was going to die and screaming did me no good.  I managed to calm down and limped to my husband, whining like a baby.  Trying desperately not to laugh, he told me I was working in the middle of a huge menagerie of Mountain Beaver tunnels.  What?  A real live beaver and his cute little family?  I thought they liked rivers and streams.  Oh, contraire!

These nasty little creatures are not beavers but  prehistoric rodents. They are solitary in nature; chatter, hiss, cough, have a nasty demeanor when cornered,  and eat their own soft feces (the hard stuff they store in a separate chamber).  Mountain Beavers build honeycomb tunnels, commit to solitude (generally two per acre), and have  ferocious appetites for fir seedlings, ferns and rhododendrons. Their vacated tunnels harbor unwanted visitors like mice, rats, skunks and weasels. (2)(3)

The mountain beaver does not hibernate but lives in a constant state of flux, 12 months a year.  Foraging for food and needed sleep makes them vulnerable prey to their array of enemies; the bobcat, golden eagle, cougar and owl. (1)(3)

Proof Is In The Flea

After researching this skinny- toed little fur ball called the Mountain Beaver,  I am now able to get back to clearing the brush around my rhododendrons and masses of ferns, but with extreme caution.  Since Mountain Beavers are anti- social and even males and females only get along when they have too, it’s best to avoid them at all costs.

Lastly and most disturbing, they are hosts to the largest flea found in the world: the Hystrichopsylla schefferi, that holds the Guinness Book of Records  of 7 mm in length!  Now that’s disgusting on so many levels. (1)(2)(4)

The following rudimentary videos vividly show the desecrated rhododendron and fern population which our little Mountain Beaver has managed so successfully to destroy.  His ingenuity is genius and tunnels a work of art.  However, that being said, my husband and I are uncovering all the tunnels we find in hopes that A.Rufa and friends will find another home in a land far, far away.

20160420_150929.mp4 from Paulette Martig on Vimeo.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_beaver

(2) www.seattletimes.com/…/the-pacific-northwests-elusive…

(3) wdfw.wa.gov/…/mtn_beave…

(4) www.goodreads.com/book/…/1721073.Guinness_World_Rec…

(5) google images for Mountain Beaver and skull