I have appreciated the information on this interesting animal. Up here in
Issaquah plateau I have spent too much time watching them "trim" our
rhododendrons. They grab large branches and carry them off. There are
extensive burrows going around our property. I'm sorry, I got that wrong.
Their property.They make gopher burrows look like child's play. If anybody
wants to come see the burrows at least they are welcome to come by.

I don't imagine that now is the time to talk about the sensitive issue of
"control". But actually I haven't seen them lately and our bushes look ok.
Too bad they can't be convinced to eat blackberry bushes.

Jim

At 01:42 PM 6/25/99 -0700, S. Downes wrote:
>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
>>
>
Jim Rosso
Issaquah, Washington
425-392-8440
jrosso at mediaseek.com