The beaver is a semiaquatic mammal of the family Castoridae in the rodent order, noted for the building of dams. They are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Beavers are the second-largest living rodents, after the South American capybara.
The beaver is usually about 76 cm (about 30 in) long. It stands less than 30 cm (12 in) high, and the broad, flat, scaly tail is about 25 cm (about 10 in) long.
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They weigh 11–30 kg (24–66 lb).
Beavers have transparent eyelids that work like goggles and can stay underwater for 15 minutes. They swim at an average of 5 mph.
Beavers have transparent eyelids that work like goggles and can stay underwater for 15 minutes. They swim at an average of 5 mph.
Beavers have orange teeth because they are made of iron instead of magnesium like other rodents. The iron causes the orange coloring in beavers’ teeth, makes the teeth stronger against mechanical stress, and makes them more resistant to acid.
They have four razor-sharp incisors for cutting and 16 back teeth for chewing. Their front teeth never stop growing.
They can cut down a 6in diameter tree in three minutes - faster than a human with an axe.
They have four razor-sharp incisors for cutting and 16 back teeth for chewing. Their front teeth never stop growing.
They can cut down a 6in diameter tree in three minutes - faster than a human with an axe.
A beaver can fell up to 300 trees in a single winter.
European beavers are faithful to one another but American beavers regularly cheat on each other.
Beavers are herbivorous, but in March 2013 a fisherman in Belarus died from his injuries after a beaver chomped on his leg when he tried to catch it, severing a major artery.
Beavers are herbivorous, but in March 2013 a fisherman in Belarus died from his injuries after a beaver chomped on his leg when he tried to catch it, severing a major artery.
They eat reeds, leaves, bark, herbs, ferns, grasses, and water lilies.
Beavers dam stream and rivers with branches, mud and stones to create still, deep pools. This enables them to build a lodge for refuge during the winter.
Lodges made by beavers have two chambers. The floor of the first chamber is a few inches above the water level and is used to dry off after coming out of the water. The floor of the second chamber is above the first, and is used for sleeping and caring for kits (baby beavers).
A beaver's lodge and dam is the largest structure built by any animal.
The largest beaver dam known to exist is currently in Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada and measures 850 metres (2,789 ft) in length.
Beavers hate the sound of running water so much that they will build dams around speakers that are playing the sound of water running over rocks.
As well as being hunted for meat and fur, beavers are also valued for a secretion from their anal glands called castoreum, which was used as a pain relief in medieval times. It’s still used in perfumes and as a food additive.
Beavers dam stream and rivers with branches, mud and stones to create still, deep pools. This enables them to build a lodge for refuge during the winter.
Lodges made by beavers have two chambers. The floor of the first chamber is a few inches above the water level and is used to dry off after coming out of the water. The floor of the second chamber is above the first, and is used for sleeping and caring for kits (baby beavers).
A beaver's lodge and dam is the largest structure built by any animal.
The largest beaver dam known to exist is currently in Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada and measures 850 metres (2,789 ft) in length.
Beavers hate the sound of running water so much that they will build dams around speakers that are playing the sound of water running over rocks.
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BEAVERS AND HUMANS
When beavers lived in the wild, their flat, scaly tail led many Roman Catholics to class them as fish-which meant Catholics could eat them on Fridays.
Beavers have long been exploited for their fur, and for many years during the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of beaver skins were exported to Europe from North America annually
As well as being hunted for meat and fur, beavers are also valued for a secretion from their anal glands called castoreum, which was used as a pain relief in medieval times. It’s still used in perfumes and as a food additive.
Protections have allowed the beaver population on the American continent to rebound to an estimated 6–12 million by the late 20th century; this is a fraction of the originally estimated 60–400 million North American beavers before the days of the fur trade.
Canada sent 50 beavers to into Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province in 1946 to help start a fur trade. There are now over 100,000, and they have devastated over 16 million hectares.
European beaver numbers fell to 1,200 at the turn of the 20th century but they have been reintroduced to more than 20 countries. In 2020, the total beaver population in Europe was estimated at over one million
Sources Daily Mail, Radio Times
Canada sent 50 beavers to into Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province in 1946 to help start a fur trade. There are now over 100,000, and they have devastated over 16 million hectares.
European beaver numbers fell to 1,200 at the turn of the 20th century but they have been reintroduced to more than 20 countries. In 2020, the total beaver population in Europe was estimated at over one million
Sources Daily Mail, Radio Times
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