Incredibly Rare Rodent
Aplodontia rufa, commonly known as Mountain Beaver, only occurs in the northwestern Pacific Coast of Oregon and Washington, and in a very narrow belt in the northeastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. We got one that was hit by a car into the center the other day.
These animals are very rare. In fact, as far as we can tell, this is the first one registered in any rehabilitation center in the state of California. They are a “living fossil” with traits and characteristics that place them as one of the oldest living rodent species in existence. Really interesting creatures. Checkout this Wikipedia article for more information on this fascinating creature…
So far, I’ve only managed to get one decent photo of this guy, but I will be bringing my camera to work again tomorrow in search of a few more…
Aplodontia rufa californica--Sierra Nevada Mountain Beaver
Thanks for stopping by!!
How is the Aplodontia doing after about a month in rehab?
September 26, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Unfortunately, the broken bones suffered by the Aplodontia caused it’s death. We did the best we could, but it was simply far too injured to survive. Thanks for the interest!
October 4, 2011 at 1:12 pm