Kamchatka beaver (sea beaver, sea otter or sea otter) is a predatory mammal that belongs to the family of marten, the species of animal is close to otters.
The first mention of the Kamchatka beaver
This animal became known in the middle of the XVIII century, after long-distance expeditions of Russian sailors to the southwestern part of the Bering Sea, or rather, after visiting the Commander Islands. Tales of the uniqueness of the fur of this animal spread lightning fast, which led to sad results - the beginning of the mass extermination of Kamchatka beavers.
After about two centuries, in 1911, quotas were nevertheless introduced by Russia and other countries on the territory of which sea otter inhabits the capture of these mammals. But this did not save the situation, they continued to shoot even illegally. In order to somehow increase the population of sea beaver and resume the extraction of valuable fur, attempts were made to breed animals 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 costs a lot of money.
The use of Kamchatka beaver fur in the production of fur coats
Currently, designers use less often the fur of sea otter for their work, preferring to use it only for finishing some details, since beaver fur is a rather expensive and rare material. Also, animal advocates are increasingly advocating the prohibition of the use of any natural fur.
However, it should be noted that a beaver fur coat is one of the warmest. But such clothes have one drawback: when contaminated, it partially loses its ability to retain heat, the same thing happens when wet. Most often, designers use menswear, sea otters, but among the female half of lovers of valuable furs, fans of beaver products are often found.
Valuable properties of fur
Kamchatka beaver with valuable fur belongs to the family of marten, which are able to stay in cold water for a long time. That is why his fur is very thick, dense and warm. Its main feature is that it does not pass water and cold air to the skin of the animal, which does not allow it to freeze even in the most severe frosts. The animal does not have subcutaneous fat, therefore, fur is its only protection in the winter season.
Thus, fur coats and sheepskin coats, which use beaver fur, are one of the warmest, they are not afraid of either moisture or severe frosts. But it is worth emphasizing that all these properties are preserved only if the fur is clean. If the hair coat of a fur coat is contaminated, then water will easily penetrate into it. In principle, this applies to fur coats from any natural fur.
At first glance, when the fur for clothes is quite thick, the impression of massiveness of the product is created. But this is not true. The fur of the beaver 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.
Wear resistance of the 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 whose products exceed these standards by a factor of ten.
Regarding how the beaver fur behaves in cold weather, only the most positive reviews come from consumers. Experts have calculated that even after more than a dozen years, a beaver fur coat will look as if it was recently acquired, but only with proper care.
How long does it take to create a fur coat
To date, manufacturing technology for fur products has advanced far. Now, in order to create a plain-colored fur coat, you do not need to wait for the production of single-colored skins. It should be noted that the skins of young individuals are mainly used, and they arrive very rarely, therefore, if you wait for the material, it will take more than one month to create a fur coat.
Now, to reduce this process, materials of different colors are used, using the so-called plucking procedure of the fur, which leaves the leather fabric intact. The fur coat from the plucked beaver is lightweight, uniform in color and has high frost resistance.
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. Fur of the beaver is no exception and takes the place of one of the leaders in substitution. Therefore, the question arises of how to determine beaver fur and not buy a fake.
Instead of sea otters, sellers often sell a rabbit or groundhog, and instead of silver fox they can give fox fur (a hybrid of a polar 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. Alternatively, they can offer nutria fur, which is not worse in terms of consumer qualities, but cheaper than Kamchatka beaver fur.
As for the fur of nutria, it, unlike beaver, does not have an undercoat that provides heat preservation. You can distinguish one product from another by palpation, in other words, touch with your hands. The outer hair of the mink is quite hard, but, for example, rabbit hair, on the contrary, is very soft. In the marmot, the fur hairs are very different from each other, and in the mink, the hair seems to be trimmed, even.
Beaver fur is also tested. 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 must always consult with experts in the field of fur and personally check everything.
How to distinguish beaver fur from rabbit fur?
Knowing what the beaver fur looks like, it will certainly be easier not to make a mistake in choosing a product. Of course, to find out what kind of fur you bought, in the end, without an examination or specialist consultation it will be impossible. To purchase products you need to have at least simple ideas about them.
It is possible to check the accessory of the fur beaver only by touch. First you need to run a hand along it along the hair, the hairline will be very soft. If you hold your hand against hair growth, then the coat will be quite prickly and stiff. For comparison: if you smooth the skin of a rabbit against hair growth, it will still be soft and silky. The beaver has leather fabric that is much tougher, while the rabbit has very soft fabric.
The next criterion is the presence of undercoat; it has already been mentioned above more than once. 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 sites. If the fur coat is sewn from beaver, then the length of the side of the rectangular section will reach 40-50 cm, while for rabbit products - a maximum of 25-35 cm.