Beaver: A North American beaver enjoying an afternoon grooming session. Photo credit: Hehaden on Flikr, CC by NC 2.0

A North American beaver was spotted recently swimming in the Bronx River. They named him Jose after U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano’s work to revive the river. The beaver was once abundant, and important to the economy (It’s even on NYC’s official seal.) but it hadn’t been seen in the area for over 200 years. The Bronx River Alliance, a non-profit that works to protect, restore and improve the Bronx River, has been tracking his story.