Hi,

I looked it up on wikipedia and it says it is the only known member of its genus and family! Looked really cute, too.

Hopefully it will leave your roses alone!! :)

Carol

I came across a lady truck driver, from Colorado, years ago who used that as her CB handle. Thought you were referring to her!

awww, how cute, Iris! hope your visitor won't bother your roses, that way you can have a peaceable Kingdom in your lovely organic garden...

I tell you, I love! this forum. am always learning about interesting creatures cute and small, history of different roses, all the gooodies...

now if you had an actual real beaver, for sure your roses would be safe (beavers only like clover, grasses and aquatic vegetation)... Mountain beavers on the other hand do like hay, fleshy herbs? whatever that means, and woody plants, but hopefully the thorns will keep it far away)... Let us know how it works out...

Your roses should be fine. I have lived here almost my whole life and have never seen any bad damage unless your cat gets ahold of one. They can really do some damage to a cat that does not know what it has tangled with. The major damage they cause is from borrowing. Think of their burrow as a freeway compared to a small country lane that moles make. Their borrows are normally made in areas which have great drainage and are higher than the surrounding land, usually under a tree. In other words somewhere on the hill behind your house.

Lance

It looks suspiciously like a woodchuck.

Henry, I agree with you..they look similar. Well I went to work and a few hours later my husband called me. He had gone outside and the beaver was in the front yard. It went all over and looked in our back sliding glass window. He got photos. I called the department of Wildlife and he said if they are comfortable they do come out during the day. I showed the neighbors the pictures..and his daughter had seen it a few days ago. The dept of fish and wildlife said it is harmless and it leave it alone.

haha, Iris, your little mountain beaver sounds as intrigued by you as I am with him...lol! peeking inside your home, through the "back door" sliding window, lol! He sounds like a real funny character...again, hope the little mountain beaver will be on his best rosebed-side manners and will leave your roses alone and that way, haha! I can continue to enjoy photos you! take of him...

Henry, I think he looks more like a gigantic mouse or muskrat... Mountain beavers aren't in the same genus as beavers but are a primitive extant rodent according to Wikipedia...

Yes, I read up on him myself. Seems he really is a large rodent..We saw the norway rat again..he just about came into the yard from under the fence..and he got scared..

well, hurray! I am glad your mountain beaver scared away the scary norway rat, eeew! Seems like your mountain beaver seems to be working his charm on you... Flirting at the window and scaring the bad guys away...lol! Rodents can usually be territorial so hopefully the nasty norway rat will keep away from your yard with Mr. Mountain Beaver staking his claim....Norway rats I read somewhere love to raid bird feeders so I hope Mr. Mountain Beaver will continue to be a friendly presence.

P.S. Iris, I saw a coyote! in my neighborhood... Usually I will see a fox at night, but it is very long bodied and extremely shy and will rush away...The coyote, actually stopped as it was crossing the street to look at Eluane t, my border collie, when she barked at it...then it trotted away. It had tan and grey markings and mush shorter body but skinny like foxes, so I am almost 90% positive that it was a coyote! I am hoping it ate up some fat rabbits!!!!

I emailed this guy I found on the internet. He studies MB and it seems they are quite elusive..He says most people don't even know about them. Well he is going to post my photo's on his website. He was thrilled with the pics. For now..it seems to be totally gone. No site of it at all