New type of beaver fossil discovered in Oregon

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – A fossilized skull fragment and teeth from a newly described species of beaver that lived 28 million years ago have been unearthed in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

Monument paleontologist Joshua Samuels said the fossils worked their way out of the soil within a mile of the visitor center.

He said the find is significant because unlike the other species of ancient beavers found to date on the monument, this one appears related to the modern beaver, a symbol of Oregon found on the state flag. The others all went extinct.

Samuels said the animal was less than half the size of a modern beaver and was related to beavers in Asia that crossed the Bering land bridge.