When it comes to beavers, usually the first thing that comes to mind for most Texans is Buc-ee’s. While beavers can be found in certain parts of the Lone Star State, most know them more for the cartoon beaver mascot of the beloved Texas chain. That’s why when a new ancient beaver species was recently discovered in Texas, researchers knew they had to name it after Buc-ee’s.
Researchers at UT Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences recently discovered a new species of beavers that lived in Texas 15 million years ago. It is believed the newly discovered beavers were 30% larger than the beavers that can be found in Texas today. Of course, when coming up with a name for the new species, the group wanted to honor Texas, so they named it Anchitheriomys buceei, giving a nod to beloved Texas chain Buc-ee’s.
According to Dallas Morning News, one of the researchers came up with the idea after seeing a Buc-ee’s billboard that read “This is Beaver Country.” The new species was discovered when a researcher was sifting through UT Austin’s fossil collections and found a partial skull fossil. Now, that species will forever be known for clean bathrooms and beef jerky.
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