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Biltmore Beaver Shark

The beaver shark is a specific species of mammal that only survives on the 4 mile stretch of the French Broad River that flows through the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

When George Vanderbilt settled into his mansion in 1895, he was greatly fascinated with biology, ecology, and the natural world. One of his many projects was the beaver shark. He and his team of renowned scientists we able to cross a typical Atlantic shark with the North American beaver to create THE BEAVER SHARK!!!! Some of the offspring came out cuddly and sweet with the face and fur of a beaver but the tail and fins of a shark- but some of the offspring resulted in bodies of the beaver and heads of the shark. Those were/are much more frightening and dangerous than the first babies.

Beaversharks of all varieties are immensely territorial- they have never left the Biltmore Estate property, even when Edith Vanderbilt sold 84,000 acres to create Pisgah National Forest. The beaversharks had an amazing ability to know that the Biltmore property had shrunk to only 8,000 acres and that is where they continue to survive today.

Only ten beaversharks survive today, and the best way to see them in their original, natural habitat is to take a rafting or kayaking trip with Biltmore Outdoor Adventure Center. Knowledgeable guides will help you experience a beavershark watching tour you won’t soon forget. Just make sure to keep your children’s toes inside the boat and leave all wooden objects on the shore.