Beaver Animal

The beaver is the second largest living rodent. There are two types of beaver, the American Beaver the European Beaver. The beaver is mainly nocturnal and will rarely travel more than a 100 metres from water. Beavers are brown with waterproof fur which is long and oily. They have 2 prominent front teeth which are orange. The front feet are strong but very small and similar to human hands and used for gripping things. The back feet are webbed and help the beaver to swimming

The tail is covered in tough scales and is used as a rudder and also to signal danger by slapping water. An adult beaver weighs between 18 and 20 kilograms, and can be up to 100 cm in length plus 30 –40 cm of tail. Beavers are herbivores and live on plants, leaves, and fresh bark from deciduous trees in the summer and bark of branches stored under water during the winter.

Beaver Skills

The beaver is capable of many engineering feats which man acknowledges as being ingenious and a remarkable example of instinct. The beaver uses their teeth for gnawing wood and can fell trees up to one metre in diameter but prefer trees that are less than 10cm in diameter. When the beaver swims under water it can close its mouth, nose, and ears to keep the water out and remain submerged for several minutes. Its lips can be closed behind its incisor teeth to enable it to gnaw under water and build up its home.

Where the Beaver Lives

The beaver lives in a lodge - a mound of sticks, moss and stones with a domed roof plastered with mud. A lodge looks like a giant hedgehog with wooden prickles. The beaver lodge can be found on the bank of a stream, at the end of a dam or on a pile of logs, which are placed at the bottom of the river.