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May 7, 2014 · The beaver might just be nature's greatest engineer. Excavating, logging and building landscapes, beavers are incredible environmental change agents. “Busy as a beaver” is surely an apt ...
- Size
- Habitat
- Habits
- Diet
- Offspring
- Classification/Taxonomy
- Conservation Status
- Other Facts
There are only two species of beaver. The American beaver (Castor canadensis) typically weighs 60 lbs. (27 kilograms) and are 23 to 39 inches (60 to 100 centimeters) long. The tail adds another 7.75 to 12 inches (20 to 30.5 cm) to its length, according to National Geographic. Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) are around the same size. They usually we...
All beavers need water to survive. They live in or around freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes and swamps. American beavers live throughout North America, but stay clear of deserts and the far northern areas of Canada. Eurasian beavers once lived all over Europe and Asia. Now, they only live in small numbers throughout southern Scandinavia, Ger...
Beavers are primarily nocturnal. They spend most of their time eating and building. Beaver create dams to make ponds, their favorite place to live. Dams are created by weaving branches together, felling trees by cutting them down with their teeth, and waterproofing the construction with mud. Dams can be several meters in length and up to 6.5 feet (...
Beavers don’t just build homes from trees, they also eat them. Unlike other mammals, beavers can digest cellulose, which is a major component of their diet, according to ADW. Beavers eat leaves, roots and bark from aspens, willows, maples and poplar trees. They also eat aquatic plants.
Beavers are very social and live in groups called colonies. One lodge is often the home for a monogamous couple, their young and the yearlings born the year before. Beavers mate during the winter, from January to March. The Eurasian beaver has a gestation period of around 60 to 128 days. Then, they give birth to one to six babies that weigh around ...
The taxonomy of the beaver, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS): Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Rodentia Suborder: Castorimorpha Family:...
Beavers were once hunted almost to extinction because they were valued for their pelts, castoreum and meat. Beaver hats were once the height of fashion, and castoreum was used in medicine, food and perfumes. Today, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN), beavers are not considered endangered. They are widespread, comm...
American beaver kits can swim 24 hours after birth. Beavers have bodies that are made for the water. Their rudder-like tail and webbed feel propel them through the water at 5 mph (8 kph). They can also stay under water for around 15 minutes at a time, according to National Geographic. Their tails aren’t just used for swimming. Beavers also slap the...
Adult beavers typically weigh 45 to 60 pounds, but have been known to grow to 100 pounds. Native Americans greatly respected beavers, calling them “Little People”. Beavers and humans are alike in their ability to greatly alter their habitats to suit their own needs.
Apr 27, 2024 · Their bodies extend up to 80 cm (31 inches) long and generally weigh 16–30 kg (35–66 pounds); however, beavers continue to grow throughout their life, and the heaviest beavers can weigh more than 50 kg (110 pounds). The distinctive tail is scaly, flat, and paddle-shaped and measures up to 45 cm (about 18 inches) long and 13 cm (5 inches) wide.
The American beaver is the largest rodent in the United States, growing from two to three feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) long, not including the tail. They have dark-brown waterproof fur and webbed feet. Beaver teeth grow continuously throughout their lives, and beavers must gnaw on trees to keep their teeth from getting too long.
They are 3 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 meters) long and stand 1 to 1.5 feet (0.3 to 0.5 meters) tall. The shape of the beaver's tail varies but, in general, is about 2 inches (5 centimeters) thick at the base and tapers to about 0.24 inches (0.6 centimeters) at the tip.
Beavers are the second-largest living rodents, after capybaras, weighing up to 50 kg (110 lb). They have stout bodies with large heads, long chisel-like incisors, brown or gray fur, hand-like front feet, webbed back feet, and tails that are flat and scaly. The two species differ in skull and tail shape and fur color.
