Composition : 99% silver
Mintage : 1,500

Canada's National Animal: The Beaver

Along with the Canadian horse, the beaver is one of Canada?s two national animals. While the beaver became an official symbol of Canada in 1975, its use as a symbol of this land goes back to the country's earliest roots. In fact, a beaver appears on the first coat of arms associated with the land now knownas Canada, dating back to the early 1620s.

Castor Canadensisplayed a major role in Canada's colonial history, becoming one of the primary motivators for the European explorers of the 17th centuryto forego their search for a passage to Asia and focus instead on the natural resources offered by the North American continent. With fur at its zenith in European fashions, beaver pelt hats became a product lucrative enough to feed settlement of the "new" continent by England and France.

The fur trade has long-since ended, and efforts to protect this amazing animal began near the end of the 1800s, when beaver populations were in decline because of over hunting. Weighing up to 32 kilograms and measuring up to a metre in length, the beaver is the largest rodent in North America. Its sharp incisors fell about 200 trees annually, its paddle-like tail acts as a rudder in the water and a counterweight on land, and its adaptations to its semi-aquatic lifestyle are striking. Transparent eye membranes allowbeavers to see as well underwater as on land, while specialized ears and nostrils completely close underwater. Its webbed hind feet make excellent swimming paddles and its web-free, sharply clawed forepaws are extremely dextrous, allowing this engineer of the animal kingdom to build its own bodies of water using dams, then construct an architecturally sound underwater lodge and mid-lake food cache, as well as canals where necessary. Its savvy forepaws are also helpful for careful fine-tuning, digging, and transporting its construction materials.

Found throughout Canada from the 49th parallel to the Arctic Ocean, the beaver prefers water courses bordered by deciduous trees and shrubs.
 

THE BEAVER - 2013 CANADIAN COINS is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 10- FLORA, FAUNA & NATURE and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.