How to identify beaver fur? Kamchatka beaver with valuable fur

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The Kamchatka beaver (sea beaver, sea otter or sea otter) is a predatory mammal that belongs to the mustelid family, an animal species close to otters.

The first mention of the Kamchatka beaver

This animal became known back in the middle of the 18th century, after long-distance expeditions of Russian sailors to the southwestern part of the Bering Sea, or rather, after visiting the Commander Islands. Stories about the uniqueness of the fur of this animal spread with lightning speed, which led to sad results - the beginning of the mass extermination of Kamchatka beavers.

Approximately two centuries later, in 1911, quotas were nevertheless introduced by Russia and other countries, on whose territory the sea otter lives, to capture these mammals. But this did not save the situation, the shooting continued to be carried out even illegally. In order to somehow increase the population of the sea beaver and resume the extraction of valuable fur, attempts were made to breed the beast in artificial conditions. However, they were unsuccessful due to the fact that in captivity the beast did not want to breed. To date, the animal is listed in the Red Book, so beaver fur is worth a lot of money.

The use of Kamchatka beaver furin the production of fur coats

Currently, designers use less and less sea otter fur for their work, preferring to use it only for finishing some details, since beaver fur is a rather expensive and rare material. Also, animal rights activists are increasingly calling for a ban on the use of any natural fur.

However, it should be noted that the beaver fur coat is one of the warmest. But such clothes have one drawback: when contaminated, they partially lose their ability to retain heat, the same thing happens when wet. Most often, sea otter fur is used by men's clothing designers, but among the female half of lovers of valuable furs, there are often fans of beaver products.

Valuable properties of fur

The Kamchatka beaver with valuable fur belongs to the mustelid family, which are able to stay in cold water for quite a long time. That is why its fur is very thick, dense and warm. Its main feature is that it does not allow water and cold air to pass to the skin of the animal, which does not allow it to freeze even in the most severe frosts. The animal has no subcutaneous fat, so fur is its only protection in the winter season.

Thus, fur coats and sheepskin coats that use beaver fur are among the warmest, they are not afraid of either moisture or severe cold. But it is worth emphasizing that all these properties are preserved only if the fur is clean. If the hairline of the fur coat is dirty, then water will easily penetrate into it. In principle, this applies to fur coats made of any natural fur.

At first glance,when the fur for clothes is thick enough, the impression of a massive product is created. But this is not true. Beaver fur looks very elegant, it is very soft and pleasant to the touch. Such things are durable and beautiful, and their color can vary from silver to dark brown.

Durability of fur cover

Frost resistance is not the only advantage of a beaver fur coat. Its other advantage is wear resistance. If we turn to the reference indicator of the strength of fur products, then the Kamchatka beaver with valuable fur is an animal, products from which exceed these standards by dozens of times.

Regarding how beaver fur behaves in the cold, only the most positive feedback comes from consumers. Experts have calculated that even after more than a dozen years, a beaver fur coat will look like it was recently acquired, but only if it is properly cared for.

How long does it take to create a fur coat

To date, the technology of manufacturing fur products have advanced far ahead. Now, in order to create a coat of a single color, you do not need to wait for the production of skins of a single color. It should be noted that the skins of young individuals are mainly used, and they are received very rarely, therefore, if you wait for the material, it will take more than one month to create a fur coat.

Now, to shorten this process, material of different colors is used, applying the so-called fur plucking procedure, which leavesintact leather fabric. The plucked beaver fur coat is lightweight, uniform in color and highly frost-resistant.

Beware of fakes

The problem of fake fur has long been known, and the point is not to create artificial, but to sell one material under the guise of another. Beaver fur is no exception and takes the place of one of the leaders in substitution. Therefore, the question arises of how to identify beaver fur and not buy a fake.

Instead of a sea otter, sellers often sell a rabbit or a marmot, and in return, silver foxes can give fox fur (a hybrid of arctic fox with a silver fox), only a fur coat from a real sea otter will serve the hostess for more than one year, and the rest - no more than 2- 3 seasons in a row. Also, nutria fur can be offered as a replacement, which is not worse in its consumer qualities, but is cheaper than Kamchatka beaver fur.

As for the nutria fur specifically, unlike the beaver, it does not have an undercoat that provides warmth. You can distinguish one product from another by palpation, in other words, by touching it with your hands. The outer hair of the mink is quite hard, but, for example, the hair of the rabbit, on the contrary, is very soft. In a marmot, the hairs of the fur are very different from each other, while in a mink, the fur seems to be trimmed, even.

Beaver fur is also checked. First of all, you need to pay attention to the undercoat, there must be a layer of fluff. In order not to become a victim of unscrupulous sellers, you should definitely consult with fur experts and personallycheck.

How to tell beaver fur from rabbit fur?

Knowing what beaver fur looks like, it will certainly be easier not to make a mistake in choosing a product. Of course, it will be impossible to find out which fur you bought, in the end, without an examination or consultation of a specialist. To buy products, you need to have at least a simple idea about them.

You can only check if the fur belongs to a beaver by touch. First you need to run your hand along it along the coat, the hairline will be very soft. If you hold your hand against the growth of hair, then the coat will be quite prickly and hard. For comparison: if you stroke the skin of a rabbit against hair growth, it will still be soft and silky. An order of magnitude tougher in a beaver and leather fabric, while in a rabbit it is very soft.

The next criterion is the presence of an undercoat, which has already been mentioned more than once above. Next, you need to rub the bottom layer of the skin, if it crunches, you have a rabbit in front of you, if not, a beaver. And the last factor is the geometry of the stitched skins. To do this, you need to be very careful and try to consider the areas. If the fur coat is sewn from a beaver, then the length of the side of a rectangular section will reach 40-50 cm, while for rabbit products - a maximum of 25-35 cm.