A countdown of five of the most captivating giant beaver fossil discoveries and relatives provides thrills as readers discover more about the biological, social, and hunting characteristics of these Ice Age creatures.
Part of the X-Books: Ice Age Creatures series
The Ice Age conjures up images of woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats, but this entry in the X-Books: Ice Age Creatures series (6 titles) introduces another unusual ancient animal: the giant beaver. Short passages of straightforward text reveal that this rodent was as long as an alligator, weighed as much as a black bear, and had long, fearsome teeth—but only ate plants. Illustrated scenes with giant beavers, photographs of modern beavers, and quick facts complement more passages about the giant beaver’s adaptations, where it lived in North America, how it compared to modern beavers, and its eventual extinction. In between each section is a countdown of “Top Five Xtreme Giant Beavers,” which is actually quirky beaver-related information, such as the discovery of strange corkscrew fossils made by ancient beavers.
–Angela Leeper, Booklist, 10/01/2022