When you think of Canadian animals, a beaver may be the first to come to mind, as it is one of their national symbols. You may also think of moose or caribou. However, new research finds they’re not technically the most Canadian animals. That distinction belongs to a turtle.

Researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia recently investigated the evolutionary distinctiveness of Canadian land animals compared to each other and compared to species across the world. The ones with the highest level of national distinctiveness would be those that have the longest independent evolutionary history in Canada and, thus, the fewest close relatives and their own unique biological features.

The findings, published in The Canadian Field-Naturalist, showed that the “most Canadian” animal was not the beaver, but the spiny softshell turtle. The species is found throughout North America, but in Canada, it’s limited to southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. It used to be found in other areas, as well, but it’s now endangered in Canada due to factors like habitat degradation and collisions with boats.

Amphibians and reptiles tended to be the most evolutionarily distinct, with the top spot for amphibians going to the mudpuppy, the nation’s largest salamander species.

Among mammals, two species of beavers were in the top 10 – the American beaver and the mountain beaver. However, the top spot went to the Virginia opossum.

Emma Kominek, a master’s student who helped assemble the lists, says, “We weren't surprised by the opossum. It's Canada's only marsupial. But the aquatic mudpuppy salamander? That was interesting.”

Exotic, or non-native, species were also found to have some high distinctiveness scores, with the top spot for them going to the pond slider, another turtle species.

The researchers say work like this helps improve understanding of biodiversity and inform conservation strategies focused on distinct species.

You can read the whole study here.