American beaver
(Castor canadensis)
| Fact title | Fact data |
|---|---|
| Weight |
up to 31kg
|
| Length |
120cm
|
| Lifespan |
10-20 years in the wild
|
North America’s largest rodent, the American beaver is built for a life in water. The strong body is streamlined, the hind-feet are webbed for swimming and their flat scaly tail propels them along and steers. Their ears and nose have valve-like flaps that can be closed underwater, while the small eyes have a protective transparent eyelid known as a nictitating membrane.
North America鈥檚 largest rodent, the American beaver is built for a life in water.
The beaver is renowned for toppling large trees with its robust front teeth. Not only do they use trees for food in the form of leaves, twigs and bark, but it also provides the building materials needed for damming waterways and constructing its lodge. The dam gives them a safe place to build a lodge out of the reach of terrestrial predators like bears and wolves. The lodge usually has one or more underwater entrances, with an inner chamber that rises above the surface of the water.
The social life of the beaver is built around the colony, which typically consists of an adult pair and two to six young. Mating takes place once a year, usually around January and February, with three to four kits (young beavers) being born in late spring, following a gestation period of around 107 days.
You May Not Know...
Beavers are monogamous - the adult pair will typically stay together for life.
