The Plutonian snow-beaver was a mammalian animal lifeform.
Snow-beavers required an exceptionally cold climate or they would suffer heat prostration, which was likely how they earned a name suggestive of being able to survive on the frigid dwarf planet Pluto. They resembled Earth beavers, though they had white fur, and appeared to have a predilection for building dam structures.
The species was endangered in the Federation in the 23rd century. A carefully-controlled habitat for them was maintained on the Federation wildlife preserve planet Salvum.
History[]
In 2267, the crew of a pirate Grotus transport used sleeping gas on the staff of the preserve, then fled, successfully evading the USS Enterprise. Chief zoologist Axel Carruthers flew James T. Kirk, Spock, and Montgomery Scott in a survey plane to inspect the habitats. They flew above two Plutonian snow-beavers who appeared to be in the middle of building a dam. The pirates seemed not to have tampered with the habitat. (TOS comic: "Sport of Knaves")
- Carruthers stated that the beavers required a temperature below -1043 degrees Fahrenheit, which was nearly 600 degrees below absolute zero. Climates near absolute zero would have neither trees nor rivers. Carruthers must have misspoken and was using a different temperature scale.