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125,000 Year-Old Beaver Dam Unearthed Near Whitehorse |
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Written by Wire Services
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Friday, 18 November 2005 |
WHITEHORSE, Nov. 18 - A palaeontological survey in the Old Crow Basin has unearthed the probable remains of a 125,000 year old beaver dam, the first ever fossilized artefact of its kind, announced Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Chief Joe Linklater.
"The work, supported by land claims funding, was conducted on Vuntut Gwitchin settlement land and was part of a larger survey of ancient mammal fossils along the Porcupine and Old Crow Rivers," Taylor said.
It appears that many of the sticks in the beaver dam were cut by beavers but it was unclear to the survey team if any were cut by the extinct giant beaver that lived 90,000 years ago. Palaeontologists are studying the wood to make that determination.
According to the research team, giant beavers were not ancestors of modern beavers and it remains uncertain to what extent they actually cut and processed wood. The best leads for future research into this question lie in the Yukon's fossil record, particularly the Old Crow region.
At a separate site on the Porcupine River downstream from Old Crow, the team also unearthed additional beaver-cut sticks in sediment which might date back as far as 3-5 million years. It is possible that this particular find represents the oldest beaver-cut wood in the world.
Dating the associated volcanic ash will allow researchers to determine the age of the wood. Researchers suspect the wood could prove to be as old as or older than a beaver pond site on Ellesmere Island.
Future work at both sites will include site visits collecting fossils, educational programs such as student research, and public presentations by palaeontologists and other collaborating scientists.
"The beaver is Canada's national symbol," Taylor said. "This is a wonderful discovery for the Yukon and for all Canadians." |
