All right, how about a beaver mystery this morning? It’s sunny outside and the tomatoes are all planted, so this is a great time to ponder this photo by Roland Dumas of Napa. What do you think about this mysterious spot on the beavers back?
I’ve asked around and gotten a range of answers. Cheryl doesn’t think it looks like an injury and Neither Mike Callahan or his trapper wife have ever seen anything like it. Alexa Whipple asked all the Methow folk (who have seen and caught a lot of beavers) about it and they had lots of theories but no solid guesses.
Our crew checked out your photos and we each came up with the same potential explanations that I’m sure you already have…Tumor?, Cyst?, Birthmark? Cowlick? It seems too isolated in one spot for oil spill but perhaps if he/she rubbed on someone’s vehicle oil pan in a residential area, maybe motor oil… Without intervention, it may remain a mystery.
Hmm since this is Napa I could theoretically see a beaver rubbing in a motor oil spot though probably not on his back Roland sent some more images.
Derek Gow of Scotland wonders if it might just not be a coloring trait, like that wildly unusual Pied beaver seen in Winters. That seems possible. What do you think?
Beavers. They keep you guessing! What are your ideas about this big black spot? I sure would love to know what explains it. Happy pondering.
