Beaver

Beavers have long been exploited for their fur, and for many years during the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of beaver skins were exported to Europe from North America annually—mainly for making hats. The animals were also sometimes destroyed because of the damage they did to forests and because of the flooding occasionally caused by dams. Ceaseless slaughter led to near extinction of beavers in both Europe and North America. The beaver is being reintroduced and is becoming re-established in Canada and in protected areas of the United States. Beavers are sometimes viewed as pests, particularly in suburban areas of the eastern United States.

Scientific classification: Beavers make up the family Castoridae, in the rodent order. The Eurasian species is classified as Castor fiber and the North American species as Castor canadensis.