The mountain beaver is not really a true beaver. It's a little-known but fascinating rodent which occupies a unique taxonomic and ecological niche. It lives underground in burrows and is seldom seen above ground. Most people don't even know it exists. Little is known of its ecology.

					Cover Drawing from the Final Point Arena Mountain Beaver Recovery Plan

				Drawing used in my earlier reports (artist unknown)

				Uncopyrighted artwork from The Friendly Mountain - A Story of the Olympics by E. B. Webster, 1921 (2nd edition) published in Port Angeles, about Mount Angeles (Hurricane Ridge area of ONP)

				Range: Mountain beaver have a limited distribution along the west coast of the United States, from Point Reyes along the coast and the Sierra Nevadas in California, northward along the coast and in the Cascades in Oregon and Washington, and slightly into British Columbia.

				Range Map from the Final Point Arena Mountain Beaver Recovery Plan

				Subspecies: There are seven recognized subspecies of mountain beaver, four of which are effectively endemic to California. Two of these, the Point Reyes mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa phaea) and the Point Arena mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa nigra), are restricted to very small ranges although considerably more suitable habitat seems to exist. The Point Arena mountain beaver is a federally-listed endangered species.

				Identification: The mountain beaver has been described as a large gopher or tailless muskrat. Since they live underground and come out primarily at night, they may live in the vicinity but never actually be seen by humans. Identification is usually made by finding the burrow openings which are about 6 inches in diameter and in groups of several in a small area. Clipped vegetation near the burrow system is another sign. There may also be "haystacks" of drying vegetation near the burrows.

				Food: Mountain beaver are strict herbivores and eat just about any type of succulent vegetation available including plants that are often inedible to other species such as nettle, bracken fern, and salal. Plants are also gathered and dried ("haystacking") near the burrow system, probably for food storage and nesting material.

				Habitat: Aplodontia live mostly in areas with dense understory vegetation such as coniferous forests or coastal scrub.

					I originally created this website as a communication and information sharing tool while I work with this species. I now keep my Journal in NoteBook and highly recommend it as an information management tool (Mac only!).