{"product_id":"giant-beaver-incisor-1","title":"Giant Beaver Incisor","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis partial fossilized incisor of \u003ci\u003eCastoroides\u003c\/i\u003e, the extinct giant beaver, showcases the immense size of these creatures that once thrived during the Pleistocene era. Found in a North Florida river, it’s a striking relic of prehistoric North America.  I don't know about you, but I would probably be more frightened at the site of a four foot tall beaver than a saber cat.   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003egiant beaver\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e from Florida’s Ice Age rivers was \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCastoroides dilophidus\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e—a beaver built on a totally different scale than the ones we see today. Florida fossils show it lived around \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ewetlands, river channels, and floodplain ponds\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, exactly the kind of watery habitat you’d expect from a beaver, just supersized.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat it ate:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e despite the classic “beaver gnaws trees” idea, chemical studies point to a diet heavy in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003esubmerged aquatic plants\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e (think pond weeds and other wetland vegetation), meaning it was tightly tied to healthy marshy waterways.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow big \/ tall:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e giant beavers could reach about \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e6–7 feet (1.9–2.2 m) long\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e and were often described as \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003esmall-bear sized\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e. (Height isn’t as consistently reported as length, but picture something \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003estout and low\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, roughly \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ewaist-high\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e rather than deer-tall.)\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIts Florida contemporaries:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e in those same Pleistocene landscapes and waterways, it would’ve shared the scene with animals like \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003emammoths and mastodons\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003egiant ground sloths\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, and big predators such as \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003esaber-toothed cats\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e—the classic cast of Florida’s Ice Age fauna\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fossils Online","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46493907517580,"sku":"3860","price":125.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0621\/3697\/5500\/files\/DSC02958.jpg?v=1772652983","url":"https:\/\/fossilsonline.com\/products\/giant-beaver-incisor-1","provider":"Fossils Online","version":"1.0","type":"link"}