Help Minnesota get a State Fossil!

Our state is just one of four in the U.S. that does not have a fossil for a state symbol. A couple years ago, the Science Museum of Minnesota had a big vote and the clear winner was the Giant Beaver. Now the Science Museum of Minnesota is teaming up with Bad Weather Brewing to help get the word out and drum up support to get it passed through the capitol. Come see some real Giant Beaver fossils from Minnesota, talk to actual paleontologists and try this amazing new beer!

A black IPA brewed in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Giant Beaver

During the Ice Age, Minnesota was home to the Giant Beaver, the largest rodent ever known from North America, the size of a black bear. It lived alongside mammoths, scimitar-toothed cats, and even the first humans to settle into Minnesota. 

A State Fossil for Minnesota

Minnesota is just one of four U.S. states without a fossil as a state symbol. The Science Museum of Minnesota set out to change that and in late 2021 held an online vote for what it should be. The very clear winner was the Giant Beaver, Castoroides. Known in Dakota as Ċapa and Ojibwe as Amik, this ancient relative of the modern beaver is an excellent choice. The museum has brought it to the Legislature three times now, without success. We need your help! Use the QR code to easily find who represents you and let them know you want the Giant Beaver as Minnesota's State Fossil!