UT researchers name new ancient beaver species after Buc-ee's

A partial skull fossil of A. buceei (right) next to a skull recontruction.
UT Austin Jackson School of Geosciences / Matthew Brown

Autin American-Statesman
Hannah Ortega - Austin American-Statesman
March 27, 2023

With its famous beaver nuggets and buck-toothed, hat-wearing mascot, Buc-ee's has long served as a fan-favorite Texas chain. But now, the rest stop is immortalized in paleontological history with the naming of a new fossil.

The University of Texas at Austin reported their researchers rediscovered fossils belonging to a new ancient beaver species inside the school's fossil collections. The researchers named the species Anchitheriomys buceei, also known as A. buceei, after Buc-ee's.

The naming of the beaver species comes 80 years after the initial discovery of a partial skull fossil in 1941. A man named Curtis Hesse, who worked as a museum curator for Texas A&M University, died before he could officially name the beaver as a new species.

"New discoveries in the field capture lots of attention, but equally as valuable are the discoveries made in existing museum collections," Matthew Brown, Jackson School's vertebrate paleontology collections director, told UT News. "We know that these opportunities are littered throughout the drawers in these cabinets."

According to the team of UT researchers, which includes research associate Steve May of the Jackson School of Geosciences, A. buceei lived in Texas roughly 15 million years ago. The species was about 30% larger than beavers roaming around today, weighing about 57 pounds compared to the modern, 44-pound North American beaver.

Six Texas sites contributed A. buceei fossils to UT's collection, with the important partial skull coming from Burkeville. The skull piece helped researchers determine that A. buceei was indeed a new species.