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Healthy Planet

Sequencing the Beaver

It has orange teeth that grow throughout its lifetime. It chews relentlessly on trees and builds dams that shape habitats across the continent. In earlier centuries, its fur was the currency of empires. While a lot is known about the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), the animal’s complete genome has never been sequenced. Until now.

Categories
Healthy Planet Stewardship

Leave it to the beavers

It’s on the Oregon state flag and a symbol for Oregon State University: the North American beaver. But how much do you really know about these semi-aquatic mammals? Likely, not a lot.