Beaver, American

Physical Features

The American Beaver is a semi-aquatic rodent. It s coat has a wide range of colors ranging from yellowish-brown to almost black on its back and sides and a lighter brown fur on its chest and belly. Owing to its aquatic nature, the Beaver has webbed hind feet, which are longer than the front clawed feet and propel it in the water when swimming. They are adapted to living in water by having valves that close up their nose and a nictitating membrane covers their eyes when underwater. They also have a thick layer of fat under their skin to insulate them against the cold, and their skin is kept waterproof by castoreum secreted by scent glands near its genitals. They have a large, flat and almost hairless tail that they use to strike against water in order to indicate danger and fright away predators. It is also used to maintain its balance when gnawing on trees and woody vegetation with its long sharp upper and lower incisor teeth. The American Beaver is the third largest rodent in the world with the adult weighing between12kg to 45kg (33 to 77lb) and their bodies are about 1m (3.3ft) in length.

Habitat

American Beavers live on banks of rivers, streams, ponds, small lakes, and marshes. They build lodges of sticks and mud on islands, on pond banks, or on lakeshores. Beaver lodges have one large central chamber and one or two entrances. The floor of the chamber is a little bit above the water and is usually covered in woodchips to absorb moisture. A vent in the lodge lets in fresh air. Not all Beavers build lodges, some beavers build burrows in the banks of rivers. Beaver dams are domed-shaped and can be up to ten feet tall. The American Beaver is found throughout North America except for Florida, the desert Southwest, Mexico, and the northern most parts of Canada.

Diet

American Beavers feed on bark, cambium and soft tissues with the bark of willow, maple, birch, aspen, cottonwood, beech, poplar, and alder trees being their favorite. They also feed on roots and buds and other water plants.

Meat

American Beaver meat has a similar taste to lean beef. Precaution must be taken to avoid contamination from the castor gland, which will give it a very bitter taste. It has been important source of food for the Native Americans.

Behavior

American Beavers are very protective creatures, marking their territories with piles of mud and scent and live in colonies compost of a breeding male and female and their offspring. They communicate in various ways, including posture, scent marking, vocalizations and by slapping their tail on water. They are mainly active at night. Being good swimmers they spend most of their time in water as they are more vulnerable on land. They can remain submerged in water for up to 15 minutes. American Beavers mate for life from the age of three. Breeding seasons run from January to early June and they have a gestation period of 106 days. The female makes a soft bed in the lodge for her young and she gives birth to a litter of between two to nine young. The infants are born with their eyes open at birth and they can swim within the first 24 hours of birth. They are weaned after two months but the male continues to protect the young, gathering food for them and keeping away predators. Beavers have positive impacts on environments, which includes creating wetland environments for other species by building dams as well as slowing down soil erosion, raising the water table, and assisting in purify the water. They can however also impact negatively on the environment by building dams that slows flow of water in streams and cause silting and as a result other species can loose habitats and this can also cause flooding in low-lying areas.

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