And again today the Huffington Post makes room for more silly articles about beaver. Because why report actual news when you can just write about what every one else said five years ago?
Here’s What A Beaver’s Anal Secretions Have To Do With ‘Natural Flavoring’
If the vagueness of the term “natural flavors” on ingredient lists has ever left you feeling uneasy, your gut may have been trying to tell you something. It turns out that one of the ingredients that can be grouped into this cryptic category is castoreum, which is basically a beaver’s anal secretion.
Beavers typically use castoreum to mark their territory. It is a yellow-ish liquid found in the beaver’s castor sac located in between the pelvis and base of the tail. Because of its location the gland often contains anal secretions and urine. Gross as it may be, it is nontoxic.
Due to the beaver’s healthy diet of leaves and bark, the secretion doesn’t stink. In fact, it is said to have a pleasant, musky aroma. It’s because of castoreum’s pleasing scent that it has been used as a flavoring in foods, mainly to enhance vanilla, raspberry or strawberry flavors. (It’s used in perfumes, too.)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We were so surprised the first time we read this rumor that we fell off our dinosaur and broke our wooden underwear! Why not talk about beaver importance to salmon or water storage? Hey maybe you could let me write a column of REALLY SURPRISING BEAVER NEWS for a change. What do you think?
Sheesh.
These English children are cuter with a stuffed beaver than anyone on the HP.
An event aimed at informing people about mammals which call the River Otter home has been hailed a success.
More than 200 people turned out at Otterton Mill to find out about the beavers which reside in the river. Children made badges and beaver crowns and visitors of all ages, saw from a model beaver named Justin, just how large the animal can be.
Badges and beaver crowns! I wonder where they could possibly gotten a smart idea like that?
Meanwhile, I’m happy with the way this cause and effect lesson came out. Click to expand and give it a moment to load for best effect. It should remind you of its inspiration but just in case you don’t recall it, here is a reminder.
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail
