Unravelling Mysteries of the Beaver Genome

Here’s something we missed in September.

Fun video. Makes me genuinely curious about what they’d find. Hey, how much would we have to donate to have Bennie at a beaver festival? Looks like they’re having troubles raising the funds. I bet this website can help them a little. I’m not a fan of beavers in zoos but since he’s there already we might as well harmlessly learn what we can from him right? I mean since beavers are a big mishmash genetically because of US we should help fix what we can, right?

This article from New York tells us little that is new, but it’s a pleasant read anyway.

S pecies spotlight: The beaver’s tale

Looks like: The Beaver is a large, unmistakable rodent that can reach up to 26-65 pounds and features a broad, flattened tail that can reach 9-10-inches long and 6-inches wide. Beavers have yellow-brown to almost black fur, webbed feet and prominent orange teeth.

Niche: Beavers are herbivores, eating tree and water plant parts. As winter approaches, they will collect and cache food underwater near the entrance of their lodge in a “feedpile” to use during winter. Beavers can be prey for coyote, fisher, bear and bobcat when they leave the pond in search of food. Kits can also be prey for mink, otter, fox and great-horned owl.s tale

Not nearly enough about how this keystone species builds wetlands that safe fish, frogs, birds and otter. But it’s nice to see anyway. I am impatient for the day when the people who decide to print “interesting facts about the beaver” have things to say that are REALLY interesting.

I don’t know how your blood pressure is this morning, but I’m heading out on vacation tomorrow so mine’s looking pretty good. I’ll try to reach over the mai tai’s and coconuts and manage to post something, especially Wednesday because it will be the auspicious occasion of our 3000th post. Wow. I’ll make sure to tell you a really closely guarded beaver secret that day to make it worth your while.

In the mean time, your blood pressure can take a vacation by watching this, from our Norwegian friend of the Scottish beavers, Sylvia Mueller. She took this on holiday in Germany.

Beautiful footage. Enjoy.

No help needed in hunt for Aragon beavers

Chris Hindman has one simple message for Aragon residents following his and two other contractors beginning their hunt for the beavers blocking up the spring that feeds the mill pond: Stay away.

The trio of hunters who were asked by the city to get rid of the beaver population on land adjacent to the mill pond, have killed two beavers so far and will be continuing their city-sanctioned hunt. But first they want to make sure local residents understand that their help is not needed in the hunt.

Following last week’s SJ article on the need to eradicate the beaver population, Hindman said he saw several posts on Facebook alluding to local residents who planned to join the hunt.

“We just want ourselves and people to be safe,” he said

Killing beavers is such a special treat in Georgia. Everyone wants to do it. Maybe next time they should hold a lottery?

Aragon is postage stamp of a town with about 2000 people that was named for the deposits of Aragonite – (not a misspelling of Tolkien, as I originally thought.) This little sliver of a region on the northwestern border of the state that is already listed as “abnormally dry” on the drought monitor maps. What are the odds they will come crying to FEMA for drought relief after the entire town lined up to kill the water-savers?

Loved this yesterday and had to share. Actual rain fell from the actual sky. You can’t believe how good it smelled.

Last night we sat sentinel in hopes of seeing a beaver at ward or the footbridge. We saw a green heron, several bats, and a family of raccoons swimming up the creek, but no beavers. The sky felt sorry for us and treated us to a beautiful light show after most our delicate and scented rain. Lory and Ron took this photo from their home a few blocks away, but you get the idea. Even without beavers, it was magical.