ok, it's not my best picture of a beaver (Castor canadensis), but i love these giant rats.
for quite a few years now, the "conservators" (aka park wardens) of fish creek provincial park have been "relocating" (i.e. ridding the park of) beavers. dude, how can you not like canada's national mammal? you'll be happy to know that the population of giant rodents has made a considerable comeback from what i've observed in the eastern side of the park. the ponds created by their dams have submerged a few of the trails. yeah!
beavers...you are the comeback kids of 2005!!! congratulations...
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Castor canadensis...
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9 comments:
nice beaver shot! (okay someone had to say it)
it is nice to see them back in abundance in FC, even if they are ecologically unsound (no worse than us, right?). but why is it that our national symbols (beaver, goose) are so destructive? we need something more calm and cuddly.
thanx dave. you are truly a honourable spokesman for hinterland's who's who...
personally, i don't see them as ecologically destructive at all. damn, they are doing what comes naturally. i think it's really cool that they innately build dams and lodges. it's almost human-like... symbolic of pioneering spirit of canadians. ok, i'm going to gag.
we, especially the guardians of our provincial parks, should just leave them be.
what do you suggest, soapydave, we have as calm and cuddly national symbols?
Autumn says:
Muskrats. Definitely muskrats.
autumn,
could be muskrats, except for the presence of freshly gnawed through trees all over the place. i'm talkin about 6 inch thick trunks!!!
the muskrat is not a bad choice but, according to the actual Hinterland Who's Who, the muskrat "is basically a large field mouse that has adapted to life in and around water".
i'm more inclined to go with the mink, which, according to nature.ca, "are bold, ferocious, and virtually untameable [as Adults], but if they are captured as kittens they are playful and can become attached to the person who cares for them".
it'd be kind of cool if the national symbol was a wolverine. they're cute. according to nature.ca, "pugnacious, bold, and curious, like other weasels, the wolverine is omnivorous and consumes a wide range of edible roots and berries, small game, and fish. They have been known to kill animals as large as caribou and mountain goats." ok, they like killing alot...
I recommend kittens.
Everyone loves kittens.
kyle, domesticated, feral, or wild?
minks look kind of like ferrets. i don't know about wolverines - i don't think canadians come off as killing machines.
and so to further complicate the matter, i vote for cougars. but not the furry kind. the middle-aged kind you find in bars trying to convince 20 year olds to go home with them.
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