Beaver is the official state animal of Oregon. Beaver was entitled to the official Oregon state animal in 1969. Castor canadensis is the scientific name of Beaver. It is commonly known as North American beaver, also called the Canadian beaver, American beaver, or beaver, which is native to Canada, greatly in the United States, states of Sonora and Chihuahua in northern Mexico. The Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon has been declared the Beaver to be the official State animal of Oregon. Oregon Revised Statutes – 2009 Edition, Title 19, Chapter 186.
State animal of Oregon Facts—
- Common Name: Beaver
- Scientific Name: Castor canadensis
- Color: The color of the beaver is rich, glossy, and reddish brown or blackish brown.The pelt on its back and sides are dark brown and lighter brown on its chest and belly.
- Height: Head and body, 23 to 39 in long and the tail 7.75 to 12 in. long
- Weight: 40 – 50 pounds
- Diet: bark and cambium of willow, maple, birch, aspen, cottonwood, beech, poplar, and alder trees.
- Cubs: Cubs called kits 1-4 (during winter)
- Major strength: Beaver has a specialized digestive system that helps it digest tree bark.
- Major weakness: Poor vision
- Lifespan: 20-24 years
Oregon’s state animal, Beaver have a waterproof, rich, glossy, reddish brown or blackish brown coat. The under pelt are finer than the outer, protective, guard-hairs. The ears are short, round, and dark brown in coloration. A beaver’s back legs are longer than the front, which made the back end to be higher than the front end at the time of walking. The skulls and teeth of the Beaver are excessively large, which is vital for cutting hardwoods like maple and oak. Particularly the upper incisors, it is bright orange in color, which 20-25 mm long and is 5 mm wide. These teeth grow throughout the life and have the necessity to survival.
Oregon’s state animal, Beavers build fashionable lodges out of sticks and mud. The dome-shaped lodge is built in water and only has underwater entrances. Dam-building activities of beaver are significant to natural water flow and erosion control and for this reason, it is also been called ‘‘nature’s engineer.” Beavers are monogamous and for that reason mate with the same beaver for life.
The beaver has scent glands on its underside used to secrete a liquid that covers its fur and makes it waterproof. These rodents are great swimmers.State animal of Oregon, Beavers naturally live 20-24 years if they are not exterminated by humans or causes related to humans.
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/beaver.htm
http://animaldiversity.org
http://www.ereferencedesk.com
http://eol.org/pages/328025/details