Aplodontia, Mountain boomer, Ground bear, Giant mole, Sewellel beaver, Boomer
The Mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa) is a rodent from North America. It should not be confused with true North American and Eurasian beavers, to which it is not closely related; instead its closest relatives are squirrels.
No
NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
He
HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
Fo
FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
Gr
GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Al
AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
Vi
ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Fo
FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
So
SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
M
starts withMountain beavers are usually dark gray or brown, but their fur can range from slightly more reddish (rufa) to more blackish depending on subspecies, with a light patch under each ear. The animals have distinctively short tails. Their superficial similarity with true beavers reflects only their relatively large size (for rodents), strong odor, preference for living in extremely watery/moist habitats, and propensity to gnaw bark and cut branches.
Mountain beavers live in North America, their two main ranges being from Merritt in British Columbia to Rio Dell in California and from Mt. Shasta, California over to western Nevada. Sparse populations also inhabit the Californian coast. Their habitat ranges from sea level forested areas to timberline peaks. They prefer areas of second growth tree species and shrubs, and like to be near water. They are most common in high mountain peaks that have deciduous forest and least found in coniferous forests.
Mountain beavers are not very sociable. They tend to stay within a few meters of their burrows. With their home ranges overlapping, each beaver defends its nest site. These animals are predominantly nocturnal, though they are occasionally active in the daytime. They vocalize with whistles and booming sounds and will squeal and make grinding noises with their teeth when fighting. The burrow system of these animals is centered around their nest sites. Nearly all the entrances connect to the nest chambers underground. The nest chambers are lined with dried leaves. The entrance to the tunnels either has vegetation covering it or is covered over with a tent-like stick structure. Mountain beavers do not fell trees, build dams, live in lodges, or communicate by tail slappings. They forage above the ground climbing trees a few meters high.
Mountain beavers are herbivores (folivores, graminivores). Their diet includes ferns, grasses, forbs and other plants.
Little information is known about the mating system of Mountain beavers. Breeding occurs between January and March. The gestation period usually takes 6-8 weeks and the female gives birth to 2-3 young. At birth, the young weight 25.5g; they are pink, blind, helpless, and have little fur. They are able to function within 6 to 8 weeks and become reproductively mature at the age of 730 days.
This is a common species and it is considered a pest in much of its range due to the damage it causes. People use herbicides and burning to reduce the food source for the beavers. The threats to the subspecies phaea and nigra include wildfire, expansion of exotic plants, livestock grazing, rodent control measures, housing development, alteration of stream flows, highway construction, predation by dogs and cats, and small population sizes.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Mountain beaver is between 10,000 to more than 1,000,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Mountain beavers may affect predator populations, including bobcats, coyotes, cougars, golden eagles, and owls, as items of prey.