Throughout our long history as a species, we've domesticated a plethora of wild animals - Dogs for their loyalty and protection, cats for pest control, and farm animals like cows, sheep and chickens for food and resources.
Yet one cannot help but wonder why we didn't tame other animals with unique and valuable traits - especially the most majestic rodent of them all, the beaver.
Our furry aquatic acquaintances are renowned for their industrious nature, Building great dams and lodges out of wood with remarkable precision.
However, our ancestors weren't interested in beavers for their engineering skills, but rather for their fur.
You see, beaver fur is quite special compared to that of most other mammals.
A beaver's hair strands are soft and fine, with serrated edges that make the felting process much easier - and the resulting felt much more durable.
Crucially, beaver fur is also waterproof, thanks to the special oils beavers naturally secrete.
This rare combination of properties made beaver fur by far the best candidate for felt hats, coats and various other garments - A fact that was independently discovered in both North America and Eurasia.
Our first attested evidence of beaver felting comes from Siberia, and it's likely that it spread westwards into Europe through trade.
We know that in the Middle Ages beavers were hunted to near extinction across Europe - and not just for their fur.
