mountain beaver

noun

1. a small, burrowing rodent, Aplodontia rufa, of the Pacific coastal region of North America, considered the most primitive living rodent.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mountain beaver¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

The ground squirrel and Point Reyes mountain beaver have been variously identified as Fletcher's "conies."

From Project Gutenberg