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Castoroides (Latin: "beaver" (castor), "like" (oides) [2]), or the giant beaver, is an extinct genus of enormous, bear-sized beavers that lived in North America during the Pleistocene. Two species are currently recognized, C. dilophidus in the Southeastern United States and C. ohioensis in most of North America.
Beaver damage on the north shore of Robalo Lake, Navarino Island, Chile. In the 1940s, beavers were brought to Tierra del Fuego in southern Chile and Argentina for commercial fur production and introduced near Fagnano Lake. Although the fur enterprise failed, 25 mating pairs of beavers were released into the wild.
Skull of a beaver. Castoridae is a family of rodents that contains the two living species of beavers and their fossil relatives. A formerly diverse group, only a single genus is extant today, Castor. Two other genera of "giant beavers", Castoroides and Trogontherium, became extinct in the Late Pleistocene.
The largest beaver was the giant beaver (Castoroides) of North America. It grew over 2 m in length and weighed roughly 90 to 125 kg (198 to 276 lb), also making it one of the largest rodents to ever exist. [208] The largest old world porcupine are the Hystrix refossa was larger than living porcupines.
Dam construction begins in late summer or early fall, and they repair them whenever needed. Beavers can cut down trees up to 15 cm (5.9 in) wide in less than 50 minutes. Thicker trees, at 25 cm (9.8 in) wide or more, may not fall for hours. [56] When chewing down a tree, beavers switch between biting with the left and right side of the mouth.
In their natural range in North America, bears and wolves prey on the beavers and keep the population under control. One observer noted that anyone considering importing beavers should also import bears, those being the beavers' natural predators. [4] According to a June 2011 NPR report, 200,000 beavers were living in the area. [6]
An extinct beaver species: Western North America: Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene [1] Castoroides: Giant beavers: North America: Up to 100 kg (220 lb) Pleistocene [1] Ceratogaulus: Horned gophers: North America: Smallest horned mammal: Late Miocene to Pliocene [2] Spelaeomys: S. florensis: A large cave rat: Flores-Extinct by 1500 [3] "Giant ...
Giant beaver may refer to: Castoroides, an extinct Pleistocene genus of beavers from North America; Trogontherium, an extinct Pleistocene genus of beavers from Eurasia