Title :

Beaver

Category: North American Mammals

Facts about Beavers, "Scientific name for Beaver is Castor canadensis". Beaver is a Castor type of semi-aquatic rodent that comes from the Castoridae family. The Beavers are large in size and they are mostly nocturnal. The Beaver comes in two existing varieties, such as the North American Beaver that hails from North America and the Eurasian beaver that is native to Eurasia. The Beavers are recognized for their natural feature of constructing dams, homes and canals in the ensuing pond. The Beavers are the second-biggest rodent in the world next to the Capybara. Beaver colonies construct of one or more dams to offer motionless deep water so they can defend against predators, and to float building material and food. Beavers, together with kangaroo rats and pocket gophers, are castorimorph rodents, a sub variety of rodents typically limited to North America..

Features of Beaver

Beavers will keep on growing all through their lives, with the body length, ranging from 23 inches (53cm) to 39 inches (99cm), with the body mass of 55 pounds (25kg). Most of the time, female Beavers are bigger than the males, which is rare among animals. The Beaver have webbed back-feet, and a wide, scaly tail, with the length, ranging from 7.1/2 inches (19cm) to 12 inches (30cm). Though the Beavers have poor vision, Beavers possess a set of transparent eyelids which enable them to see under water. The Beaver have keen senses of smell, hearing and touch. The teeth of a Beaver grow endlessly so that they will not be damaged by gnawing the wood. The four incisors of the Beaver are made of tough orange enamel on the front part and a softer dentin on the rear. The ends of incisors that look like a chisel are preserved by their self-grinding wear pattern.

Beavers are big-size rodents and they move with an awkward waddle on land, but they are elegant in the water, where the Beaver make use of their big, webbed back feet similar to swimming fins, and their tails similar to rudders. These features enable the Beaver to swim at a velocity of 5 miles per hour (eight kilometers per hour) in the water. They can remain underwater for a long time without surfacing, and boast a set of see-through eyelids that function much similar to goggles. The fur of the Beavers is naturally greasy and water-resistant.

Beavers are known for their alarm indication. When they get frightened or startled, a swimming beaver will quickly dive while vehemently slapping the water by means of its broad tail, capable of being heard over large distances below and above the water. This serves as a caution to other beavers in the region. Once a beaver has made the alarm, other beavers will dive and may not come back for some time. The Beaver are slow on land, but they are good swimmers, and can continue below the water surface for as long as 15 minutes. Beavers don’t mind the cold, they can be seen just as active in the winter and active in the use of their ponds even when covered with a layer of ice.

Diet of Beaver

Beavers are herbivores and they feed on bark, leaves, roots, twigs and marine plants.

Behavior of Beaver

The fundamental units of the Beaver communal organization are families, containing an adult female Beaver and an adult male in a monogamous couple and their yearlings and kits. Their families can contain as many as ten associates as well as the monogamous couple. They form a group and construct more small houses to inhabit, whereas smaller families typically require only one home. The Beaver maintain and protect territories, which are regions for nesting, feeding and mating. The Beaver spend much of their time in their areas, constructing their dams and becoming recognizable in the region. Beavers have been known to share their homes with families of muskrats!

The average lifespan of the Beaver rodent ranges from 5 years to 7 years.