Richard and other tweets,
Aplodontia or mountain beaver can be found with abundance at two common
Seattle parks that I know of. Discovery Park and the north bluff area is
thick with their tunnels and burrows, I found a dead one on the loop trail
one morning and took it to the Naturalist at Disco. The other one is
Carkeek where there are all over on any of the off-trail area. They have
been seen at areas like Lee Forest near Maltby recently and I'm sure they
are in countless of other areas. If you know what to look for their
burrows are pretty common, actrually seeing one as Dianne and Richard have
done is a treat though as they are predominantly a noctural species.
Good luck,

Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA

"Birds don't read bird books. (That's why they are seen doing things they
are not supposed to do)." -Mary Wood


On Fri, 25 Jun 1999 Pterodroma at aol.com wrote:

> Several 'tweets' replied privately with that question yesterday.
>
> For any we't sider in the Pacific Northwest, this is one mammal you should at
> least get to know if not appreciate for it is exclusive and endemic to the
> Pacific Northwest and Cascades west from northern California to southern
> British Columbia. It is also the only species representative of the unique
> rodent order of mammals known as Aplodontiidae and goes by the common name
> "Aplodontia" or "Mountain Beaver" (_Aplondontia rufa_). Adults may reach
> 12-17 inches in total length, or about the size of a small chunky house cat.
> It looks like a tailless Muskrat with little beady black eyes and small
> rounded ears. According to the Peterson Field Guide to Mammals, "it is
> mostly active at night and makes extensive tunnels, runways, and burrows
> beneath dense streamside vegetation." Peterson goes on to read: "In the wild
> areas the Aplodontia is of little importance, but it can be a nuisance in
> reforestation projects; also, it may raid truck gardens and cause general
> damage by its persistent burrowing. Meat is strong and the hide is
> worthless. It is an interesting element in the biological world, probably
> its only asset".
>
> Well! This last part isn't very nice and sounds a bit understated doesn't
> it. Kevin Li mentioned that Kelly McAllister, one of our regularly
> contributing members of the 'Tweeters' family, has written a paper on the
> Aplodontia in Washington. So Kelly, if you're lurking about, maybe you'd
> care to chime in. I would be interested in locating the paper at the very
> least. Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to tell someone to go in search of
> the reclusive Aplodontia / Mountain Beaver. Their sign is left all around in
> many places around here. One site that comes to mind is the eastern most
> soccer field at Lake Sammamish State Park (adjacent to the little pine grove
> that was home for the Long-eared Owl two years ago). In the winter, there
> are telltale mounds of dirt all over the field which in itself adds a new
> dimension and challenge for all those little kids out there playing the game
> of soccer.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> Richard Rowlett (Pterodroma at aol.com)
> Bellevue (Eastgate), WA
>