Giant Beaver

Now that we’ve talked a bit about things you see around the Site currently, we’d also like to share some of the rich history associated with the Site! We will start by discussing a few prehistoric creatures and then conclude the tour with some more Presidential history associated with Mastodon.

Sometimes, if you are near a small stream, you may see evidence of the local beaver population – but what if the beaver is bigger than you! The giant beaver often roamed the lakes, rivers, and swamps of the Pleistocene era, which ended approximately 10,000 yearrs ago. Being herbivores they ate plants, specifically they ate aquatic plants. When talking about their size they are very different from their cousins from the present, for they could grow up to 8 feet long and weighed 198-276lbs. They did have thick pelts and large teeth much like their modern relatives. Their cause of extinction might have been caused by habitat loss due to climate change, but scientists are continuing to study many extinction theories.