Kinds Of Beavers:

There are many kinds of beavers: the Scandinavian, Elbe, Rhone, Polish, Ural, Mongolian, Canadian, Michigan, Newfoundland, Rio Grande, and the golden-bellied. Beavers are the second largest rodent. They are probably the best gnawing animal.

Size, Breeding, Life Span, etc.: Beavers live 16 years. They are about 4 feet long including a 1 foot tail, and they weigh up to 60 lbs. They mate from Jan.- Feb. and they have 1 to 8 babies in April-May. The babies weigh 8 to 24 oz., their length is about 13 inches with tails that are about 9 centimeters long. They learn to swim when they're only a month old. Their eyes open at birth. When the second litter is born the first litter moves out. Beavers mature in about 2 to 3 years. The prehistoric beavers were 7 feet, 6 inches long and lived in North America.

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Feeding Habits:

Beavers eat only plants. They eat poplar trees, carrots, cattail, mushrooms, potatoes, berries, water plants, swamp wood, and fruit. Soft bark is the main food for a beaver. Sometimes a beaver will sit up on its legs and eat corn-on-the-cob style!

Swimming Information:

Beavers can swim underwater for 15 minutes. They can do that because they have very big lungs. Their tails are used as a rudder. If they turn their tail to the right the beaver will go left. Beavers have noses and ears that close when the beaver is in the water.

Lodge, Dam, and Canals: Beavers' houses are called a lodge. A lodge can be 10 to 20 feet around and 6 to 8 feet above the water. The lodge can have 2 to 5 entrances and they open up under water so they can get inside the lodge under the winter ice. Having the entrances underwater protects them from predators. The lodge is made from sticks, logs, mud, and dry leaves and is built on a river bank or a pond made by a dam. In a week a beaver family can build a dam that is 35 feet long. Some dams made from generations of beavers that have been found were more than 1000 feet long. Dams are made from aspen, birch, or willow trees and mud. Beavers that live on flat places sometimes make waterways called canals so they can get heavy trees and branches to their lodge without using their teeth. A canal can be up to 1,000 feet long and 2 to 3 feet wide.

Predators, Dangers, and Defense:

Humans are the main enemies for beavers everywhere. In the north, wolves are the main predator for the beaver. When a beaver is on land looking for food it can be attacked by animals like: coyotes, lynx, bobcats, mountain lions,wolverines, bears, and sometimes stray dogs. Beavers are hard for an animal to kill because they can dodge into one of their plunge holes. Sometimes a beaver will bite its enemy with its sharp teeth and drag their enemy to the water to drown.

Communication:

Sometimes a beaver will communicate with another beaver by making a scent post. A scent post is a hill made out of mud and grass. They communicate with them by putting musk-smelling oil from their castor glands on the hill. The smell attracts beavers and other animals. Some scent posts found have been 8 to 10 inches high and 10 to 12 inches around. The scent post does more than help them communicate, it finds them a mate.

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