Racial characters.—Most like shawi but smaller, with larger postauricular patches and dusky areas on side of head.
Measurements.—A male topotype measures: total length 211; length of tail 67; hind foot 28.
Distribution.—Higher Olympic Mountains.
Castor canadensis Kuhl
Beaver
Description.—The beaver is the largest rodent occurring in Washington. Large individuals weight approximately 50 pounds. They are heavily-built, robust animals with large heads and short necks. The large, flat, naked tail immediately separates them from all other mammals occurring in the state. The forelegs are short and the forefeet handlike. The hind legs are long, thick and powerful. The hind feet are large and webbed for swimming. The ears are small and the eyes, although of moderate size, are not prominent. The incisors are large and prominent with a distinct yellow or orange color. The close, dense underfur is overlaid with long, lax, rather stiff overfur or guardhairs.
Fig. 99. Beaver (Castor canadensis). Silvana, Washington, August 15, 1921. (Fish and Wildlife Service by Leo K. [Couch], No. B-21912.)
Beavers are found in Europe, Asia and North America. In America they range from Alaska to Mexico and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Many American subspecies have been described, all thought to belong to a single species.