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Science Museum and lawmakers seek to name giant beaver Minnesota's state fossil
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Summary
A bipartisan bill would designate Castoroides ohioensis, the giant beaver, as Minnesota's state fossil; the Science Museum of Minnesota and student interest supported the proposal and the committee laid the bill over.
Lawmakers and museum officials asked the State Government Finance and Policy Committee on March 13 to designate Castoroides ohioensis, commonly called the giant beaver, as Minnesota's state fossil.
Representative Jamie Myers, bill sponsor, said the measure responds to requests including by students and educational groups. Dr. Alex Hastings, Fitzpatrick Chair of Paleontology at the Science Museum of Minnesota, said the museum held a public process in which more than 11,000 Minnesotans weighed in and selected the giant beaver as the clear favorite.
Dr. Hastings described Castoroides as a late Pleistocene species that lived in Minnesota until about 10,000 years ago. "It is the largest rodent ever in North America," Hastings said, noting mounted skeletons on exhibit at the Science Museum, including material recovered within about 7 miles of the State Capitol.
The bill includes translations of the fossil's name in Dakota and Ojibwe in an amendment the committee adopted. Supporters framed the designation as an educational tool to engage students and the public with Minnesota's deep-time fossil record.
Action: The committee adopted an A1 amendment adding Dakota and Ojibwe names for the fossil and laid the bill over.
Ending: Representative Myers and museum staff said they will continue outreach to schools and tribal partners as the bill moves through the legislative process.
