mountain beaver revisited

[Linda Fink]

The Peterson's field guide to mammals shows the mountain beaver to be from
the cascades westward in Wash., Ore., and No. Calif., extending only a short
way into Canada. So you east siders, even those of you who hang out in the
woods, are not going to find boomer holes in your hills.

Specifically, Peterson's says: "This family of rodents, now restricted to a
small strip along the western coast of N. America, contains but 1 species.
It is presumed to be the most primitive living rodent. It has 5 toes on each
foot, but the thumb is much reduced and without a claw. Skull has 22 teeth.
There are 6 mammae. Known as fossils from Upper Eocene."

Other stuff:
"Aplodontia rufa, head and body 12-17 in., tail 1 - 1 1/5 in., wt 2-3 lb.
This dark brown rodent, the size of a small house cat but chunkier, has
small rounded ears and small eyes. . .  It looks like a tailless muskrat.

More active at night than during day. Makes extensive tunnels, runways, and
burrows beneath dense streamside vegetation; in diam. burrows are 6-10 in.
Rarely climbs trees. Feeds on herbaceous plants and shrubs of many kinds;
builds hay piles along runways in late summer and early autumn. Home range
not known, but probably less than 400 yds.

In the wild areas the Aplodontia is of little importance, but it can be a
nuisance in reforestation projects; also, it may raid truck gardens and
cause general damage by its persistent burrowing. Meat is strong and the
hide is worthless." (Evidently this has not always been the case.)

There, now, that's more than you ever wanted to know about sukwallel. I'm
wondering for how long it has been restricted to a "small strip along the
western coast of N. America"? Any of those words for it come from east side
tribes?

Linda Fink   linda at fink.com
http://www.fink.com/linda/goatlane/
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1004017&a=12318565