The Beaver
Published on Nov 21, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
* North Americas largest rodent
* nocturnal - although active during the day
* do not hibernate - but become less active
* beavers in cold climates store food into the mud at the bottom of ponds, streams or near the entrance of their den/lodge
Photo by Conrad Kuiper
* adults can be up to 4 feet long and weigh over 60 pounds
* webbed hind feet: help propel them through water (can swim 5 miles per hour)
* large, flat, nearly hairless tail: helps maintains balance when gnawing, slaps against water to signal danger or to warn predators to back off
* short front legs with heavy claws
Photo by faster panda kill kill
* when under water nose and ears close up, and a special membrane covers their eyes
* can swim underwater without breathing for up to 15 minutes
* thick dark brown fur (lighter brown on belly)
* water proof it’s fur by coating it with castoreum (oily secretion from its scent glands)
*sharp upper & lower incisor teeth paired with a strong jaw: cut into trees and woody vegetation— teeth continue to grow throughout the beavers life
Photo by Enokson
* found throughout North America (excluding Florida,
the desert Southwest, Mexico, and the northern most parts of Canada)
* live near rivers, streams, ponds, small lakes and marshes
* build lodges of sticks and mud on islands, pond banks, or on lake shores.
* some beavers just build burrows in the banks of rivers
* Dams are shaped similarly to a dome: can be up to 10 feet tall, with 1-2 entrances and a vent to let in fresh air
* Dams usually have one large central chamber: floor is above water and is usually covered in wood chips to absorb moisture
Photo by misspach
* herbivores
* tree bark (specialized digestive system makes this possible)
* cambium (soft tissue that grows under the park of a tree)
* roots and buds of other water plants.
* especially like the bark of willow, maple, birth, aspen, cottonwood, beech, poplar, and adler trees.
Photo by MTSOfan
* Beavers chose one mate for life - however, if their mate dies, they will find another.
* start mating when they are 3 years old
* mating season: January through March in cold regions, late november or december in the south
* gestation lasts three months
* 1-8 (average of 4) kits a year
* kits are born between april and june
Photo by BillDamon
* kits when born: have their eyes open, can swim within 24 hours of birth, and explore outside the lodge with their parents within a few days
*stay with parents for two years
* can live up to 20 years old
Photo by ixtussy
* live in colonies that consist of 2-12 family members:
the breeding male and female along with their offspring from that year and the previous years.
* very territorial: mark territory by building piles of mud and marking with urine
* Build dams: create new wetland environments
-- other species thrive in these environments -- also helps slow erosion and purify water
Photo by Buster&Bubby
* when beavers abandon their lodges/dams:
aquatic plants take over, then shrubs, and other plants --> causing area to become a meadow --> the shrubs then provide shade to allow tree seedlings to grow --> the trees will take over thus causing the land to turn into a woodland area
* beaver dams can sometimes slow the flow of water in streams: causes silt to build up thus causing other species to lose their habitat.
* beaver dams can also cause flooding in low-lying areas.
Photo by LadyDragonflyCC - >;<
