The Beaver is the second largest rodent world-wide. The capybara, of South America, is the only rodent bigger. There are two beaver species, the American Beaver (Castor canadensis) and the European beaver (Castor fiber). The American Beaver lives in the forests of Northern America and Canada, while the European beaver can be found in Europe and Asia.
Beavers have a brown water-proof coat, and webbed hind feet built for life in the water. They have a wide, paddle-shaped tail covered in hard scales. They have two orange, prominent upper teeth, and two lower. Beavers' tails are primarily used like the rudders on a boat, and are capable of propelling the beaver through the water at five miles per hour. His tail also helps with communication between the family members, and is slapped vigorously on the water’s surface to signal danger.
Beaver Stats
- Order: Rodentia
- Suborder: Sciurognathi
- Family: Castoridae
- Species: Castor canadensis
- Group Name: Colony
- Length: Average 45” including the tail
- Weight: 30-75 lbs.
- Diet: Herbivore – beavers eat leaves, twigs, bark, and roots. Their favorite trees are aspen, willow, birch, maple, polar, and alder. Beavers do not eat fish.
- Habits: Basically nocturnal, active between dusk and nightfall. Doesn’t hibernate
The Beaver Family
Beavers are monogamous, meaning they mate for life. They breed only once a year and give birth to an average of four babies, or “kits”. Kits are born fully furred with their eyes open in April-July. A beaver family consists of four to eight members. The kits are allowed to stay with the family for as long as two years before they are finally driven away.
Dams And Lodges
As nature’s original land developers, wildlife habitats are enriched and renewed due to the presence of beavers. The construction of their dams and lodges is nothing less than brilliant even by human standards.
Although beaver dams and lodges may look disorganized, they are engineered brilliantly. These mammals cruise along rivers and waterways looking for the perfect place to set up the family home. Usually, at the end of a river the beaver begins working on a dam to raise the water level, creating a pond. Next, it will gather food for winter and keep it stored under the lodge. It’s constructed of mud, sticks, leaves, and other debris. The final product can be as high as 7’ high and 30’ across.
The beaver, and possibly a mate, then get to work on their home called a lodge. The lodge is built in the same fashion as the dam. Lodges are found on the banks of streams and resemble a big porcupine or hedgehog. There are two underwater entrances into the lodge for easy escape from predators, as well as different living chambers. Beavers work continuously on repairing or adding to their dams and lodges.
Interesting Beaver Facts
- Not all beavers build dams. Some beavers, especially the European beaver, simply bed into the sides of river banks.
- Beavers use mounds covered with “castoreum”, a yellowish fluid produced form scent glands from under the tail, to discourage other beaver families from moving into their territory.
- Beavers are capable of standing on their hind legs on land. They carry mud, logs, and rocks to their homes.
- When they dive underwater, their ears and nose snap shut, preventing water intake.
- Beavers have a third eyelid that covers the eyeballs underwater like swimmer’s goggles.
- Beavers can stay underwater for 15 minutes before resurfacing for air.
- Their hearing and smelling senses are excellent.
Beavers are often thought of as a pest, or problem species. Most of the time the timber they destroy is of low grade value; occasionally, the beaver’s industrious behavior can cause problems like flooding and property damage. In this situation, wildlife authorities can be called in to install “beaver baffles” in order to discourage beavers from taking up residence, or remove them from the area. Every effort should be taken to use humane and non-lethal beaver controls.
The beaver is an important animal species both as a water conservationist, and as an ecosystem engineer.
Related Reading
Interested in more on the beaver’s engineering skills? Check out How Beavers Create Wildlife Habitats.
Current information regarding beavers and their welfare is at Martinez Beavers.
Chris McLaughlin - Chris McLaughlin's gardening books include "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables." Check out her complete profile.
