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“In fact, the beaver was the first universally popular symbol of Canada, even before the maple leaf,” the Government of Canada .

Most recently, tariff threats and musings by U.S. president Donald Trump about making Canada the 51st state have reignited a sense of Canadian nationalism, including symbols such as the beaver.

When Team Canada defeated Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey showcase, a popular meme circulating online showed an angry beaver clutching a hockey stick chasing the U.S. president, with a Canada goose and moose close behind.

The federal government notes that long before the arrival of European settlers, Indigenous peoples recognized the importance of the beaver. Its fur was used in clothing and its bones were used to make tools.

Beaver meat provided a valuable food source, and a substance secreted by the animal’s glands served as excellent bait for other carnivorous species.

The beaver also played a central role in the fur trade from the 17th to the middle of the 19th century.

“This period saw a heavy demand for beaver pelts, which were especially important in the manufacture of the waterproof felt hats that were very popular in Europe at the time,” the Government of Canada says. “The beaver’s presence in North America represented a substantial commercial opportunity for Europeans and motivated the exploration and colonization that marked the history of Canada.”

While the fur trade was an important part of Canada’s history, it nearly wiped out the species.

By the mid-1800s, the beaver had nearly disappeared from the landscape before measures were enacted to protect it.

Long before the 1975 National Symbol of Canada Act, the beaver had already been a key part of Canadian identity.

Canada’s first postage stamp, known as the threepence beaver, was issued April 23, 1851. Designed by Sir Sandford Fleming, it features a beaver clutching a log.

The beaver was also seen on totem poles of Indigenous people on the Pacific coast.

The animal replaced two maple leaves as the reverse design on the Canadian nickel in 1937. It has remained there ever since.

notes the beaver has a long history as both a commodity and a cultural icon. It has also appeared in the heraldic bearings of Québec City and Montréal. The five-cent beaver coin design was created by artist G.E. Kruger-Gray.

What are Canada’s other symbols?

Over the past century, the Government of Canada has recognized that signify national identity through common use and collective pride. Along with the beaver, most of the following themes have been formally adopted as official symbols of Canada.

• The Coat of Arms
• The national flag
• The national anthem
• Lacrosse
• Hockey
• The maple tree
• The national horse
• The Maple Leaf Tartan
• The national colours (red and white)