Beavers

This week on Flightless Bird, David becomes fixated on the beaver, the rodent that’s become synonymous with Buc-ees, the giant American gas station. But David quickly learns there is so much to the beaver, the biggest rodent in the United States. With over 15 million of them spread over North America, they were once hunted almost to extinction for their pelts. David talks to Leila Philip, author of Beaverland, an incredible book about how the beaver transformed America. David learns that the beaver was responsible for creating America’s first multi-millionaire and how that money was turned into a real estate empire that we can still see today. David also finds out how important America's beavers were to building America and how we might need them to survive on a planet where wildfires are becoming increasingly prevalent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices