Texas scientists name ancient beaver fossil after popular rest stop Buc-ee's.

A new species of ancient beaver, Anchitheriomys buceei, has been named after Buc-ee's, a Texas-based chain of popular travel centers known for its cartoon beaver mascot. The beaver lived in Texas about 15 million years ago and was about 30% larger than modern beavers. The UT collections include A. buceei fossils from six Texas sites, and most of what researchers know about the new fossil beaver comes from a unique partial skull from Burkeville, Texas. The fossil is a fusion of bone and brain cast that was created when sediment naturally seeped into the beaver's brain cavity eons ago, creating a rock replica of the brain as the specimen fossilized.