Namesakes of the greatest music legends from Mississippi have taken up residence at the Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport and are taking their roles as Aquarium Ambassadors very seriously. These beaver brothers, appropriately named Elvis, BB and King, enjoy entertaining guests and relaxing in the Gulf breezes.
While April 7 is designated International Beaver Day, at the Mississippi Aquarium, the staff says that everyday is beaver day.
“The beavers are the stars of our facility, but we will also be spotlighting them on social media for this international celebration,” said Christina Lavallaa, curator of birds and ambassador animals at the Mississippi Aquarium.
International Beaver Day was created in 2009 by Beavers Wetlands & Wildlife to raise awareness of the ecological importance beavers are as a keystone species. This date was chosen to honor Dorothy Richards, AKA the “Beaver Woman” who spent 50 years of her life studying beavers.
The Beaver Brothers have lived most of their lives at the Mississippi Aquarium after being deemed unreleasable when they were very young. But just like most siblings, they each have a distinctive personality. Ms. Lavalla said BB likes to sleep late in the morning and is more of a night owl. Elvis is more of a busy beaver moving around the habitat dragging browse, watching guests and swimming laps in training for the Olympics. King seems to exhibit the best characteristics of each brother.
“A keeper stops by in the morning to make sure the boys have awakened on the right side of the lodge and offer breakfast shortly thereafter,” she said. “Their habitats are then cleaned and tidied before training begins.”
To beavers, the term “browse” makes up the different types of trees they use for eating and habitats. They are also offered collards, endive, kale, mustard and turnip greens and all types of lettuce.
“They eat veggies like broccoli, brussel sprouts, corn, acorn squash and sweet potato,” just to name a few she said. “They eat fruits like apples, strawberries, grapes and watermelon, and browse to include cuttings from mulberry, elm, oak and hibiscus. Some days I’m jealous of the beavers’ lunch.”
She said depending on the type of browse that is delivered around lunchtime, the beavers decided if it is worth chewing or to use as bedding. Afternoon training occurs with guests observing. When not eating or training, they spend the majority of the day swimming and relaxing.
Some fun facts about beavers is that they are semi-aquatic rodents living in the Northern Hemisphere. They are the second-largest, semi-aquatic rodent after capybaras and are known for their dam-building abilities. Beaver-built dams significantly impact ecosystems by creating wetlands that support biodiversity. They are primarily nocturnal with large heads, stout bodies, hand-like front feet and webbed hind feet.
Because of their popularity by hunters for their fur, meat and castoreum, the population saw a deep decline in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Days like the International Beaver Day were designed to promote protection and conservation of these animals.
Through the training and housing of these brothers, more is being learned about beaver impacts and habitats. Beavers are found in the wild in many of the fresh water waterways around the state and are helping new species move into the area.
“They are known as ecosystem engineers,” Ms. Lavalla said. “They are known for the elaborate dams they make that slow down water. This allows fish, mammals, birds and other creatures to have a new habitat to navigate that doesn’t wash them down stream.”
The aquarium ambassadors assist in their own health care by stepping on the scale for weighing, allow body checks on their backs, tail and belly, and will also voluntarily enter a kennel.
“They are working toward future encounters with guests,” Ms. Lavalla said.
Whereas their natural habitat is in the free-flowing waterways, the aquarium habitat is a lodge where the beavers swim, snooze, dive, drag browse and dig branches and stumps for chewing or stripping of bark. For a better idea of the daily activities and habit of Elvis, BB and King, make a visit to the Mississippi Aquarium and help celebrate this fascinating rodent.
