Mountain beaver

Mountain beaver
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene–Recent
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Aplodontiidae
Genus: Aplodontia
Richardson, 1829
Species:
A. rufa
Binomial name
Aplodontia rufa
(Rafinesque, 1817)

The mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa)[Note 1] is a North American rodent. It is the only living member of its genus, Aplodontia, and family, Aplodontiidae.[2] It should not be confused with true North American and Eurasian beavers, to which it is not closely related;[3] the mountain beaver is instead more closely related to squirrels, although its less-efficient renal system was thought to indicate greater relative antiquity for the species.[citation needed] There are seven subspecies of mountain beavers, six of which are found in California and three of which are endemic to the state.[4]

  1. ^ Fellers, G.M.; Lidicker Jr., W.Z.; Linzey, A.; NatureServe (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Aplodontia rufa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T1869A115057269. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T1869A22183865.en. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  2. ^ Helgen, K.M. (2005). "Family Aplodontiidae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 753. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. ^ Piaggio, A. J., B. A. Coghlan, A. E. Miscampbell, W. M. Arjo, D. B. Ransome, and C. E. Ritland. 2013. Molecular phylogeny of an ancient rodent family (Aplodontiidae). Journal of Mammalogy 94(3): 529-543.
  4. ^ Todd, Paul A. (1990). "The distribution abundance and habitat requirements of the Sierra mountain beaver in Yosemite National Park".


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