Beaver

Beaver fur cap
MFA# 2000.626.3

Beaver fur cap
MFA# 2000.574.5

Description

Beaver

A water-loving rodent (genus Castor) native to Europe, Asia, and North America. Beaver have thick water-repellent were sought after for hats and coats. The furs have a dense gray-brown undercoat coavered with coarse, shiny, black or reddish brown guard hairs. Beaver were also hunted for the thick liquid from their musk gland, castoreum, that was used in medicines and perfumes.

Synonyms and Related Terms

beaver fur; beaver skin; beaver hair; North American beaver (Castor canadensis); European beaver (Castor fiber); castoreum; bæver (Dan.); Biber (Deut.); castor (Esp., Fr., Port.); bevers (Ned.); bóbr (Pol.); bäver (Sven.)

Beaver pelts

Physical and Chemical Properties

Guard hair is coarse, about 3" long

Additional Images

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  Beaver (genus Castor)

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  Beaver hair

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  Beaver hair (polarized light)

Resources and Citations

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "Beaver." Accessed: 9 May 2004.

• Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937

• Olympus Microscopy Resource Center at http://www.olympusmicro.com/galleries/polarizedlight/pages/beaverhair1large.html

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver (Accessed Oct. 8, 2005)

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998