Beaver

Description

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

Other Properties

Guard hair is coarse, about 3" long

Additional Images

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  Beaver pelts

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  Beaver (genus Castor)

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  Beaver hair

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  Beaver hair (polarized light)

Sources Checked for Data in Record

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

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

• Website address 1 Comment: Olympus Microscopy Resource Center at http://www.olympusmicro.com/galleries/polarizedlight/pages/beaverhair1large.html

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver (Accessed Oct. 8, 2005)

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