Moutain Beavers- Amazing

I live on a 1 1/2 acres, the land is cleared until about half way down and then it is overgrown with brush and blackberry bushes. 2 summers ago my sons decided to take our brush cutter down and clear out the land. They found many burrows but they appeared to be too big for rats. We assumed they might belong to rabbits, burrowing owls and just about anything else.

We started telling people about these strange holes down in our backyard and someone said that it sounded like we had Mountain Beavers. We don't live in the Mountains nor near a river and I had never heard of Mountain Beavers. I wasn't sure if this person was trying to pull my leg or not so I let it go.

One day while my boys were down in the back clearing, they saw this little critter poke his head up through one of those mounds. It was an animal that they hadn't seen before. They walked up to him and caught him. Then they brought him up to the house in an animal carrier and there for the first time, I saw a real Mountain Beaver.

This is a strange looking animal. He had teeth like a beaver, claws like a gopher, a stubby tail like a hamster and he was the size of a guinea pig or maybe a little larger. I don't think he could see or hear very well since he didn't try to run or go back down inside the hole. He was not happy at being caught.

I did some research on these little guys and learned that due to the fact that they have not changed much over the years they are considered to be a living fossil. They are nocturnal, their hearing and eyesight are very poor. The tunnels that connect the burrows are quite extensive but only a few may be living in them.

Although they are considered to be a rodent they are not a beaver. They are herbivores that feed on succulent plants due to the huge need they have for water. They should never become someones' pet due to their vicious and crotchety behavior. They have strong jaws and can bite through a tennis shoe. The one my son caught had bitten through the rubber part on the toe of his tennis shoe. The few known times they have lived in captivity, they will appear to be doing well and then die unexpectedly for no real reason.

One of the most amazing things about them is that the world largest flea lives on them. The flea is almost 1/2 in. in length. And just to let you know, we set him free back into the burrow he came out of.

And now for your viewing pleasure, a few pictures we took of little Gus while we had him.