Bill > HF791

This bill designates the Castoroides ohioensis, commonly known as the giant beaver, as the official state fossil of Minnesota. Specifically, the bill proposes to add a new statute in Chapter 1 of Minnesota Statutes that formally recognizes this prehistoric mammal as the state fossil. The bill not only names the giant beaver as the state fossil but also requires that a photograph of the giant beaver, approved by the commissioner of natural resources, be preserved and potentially displayed in the Office of the Secretary of State. The Castoroides ohioensis was a large prehistoric rodent that lived during the Pleistocene epoch and was much larger than modern beavers, standing around 7-8 feet tall, which makes it an interesting choice for a state fossil to represent Minnesota's natural history.

Government Affairs

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF0791&ssn=0&y=2025