Beaver Facts

About the beaver

Two species exist: the North American beaver and the Eurasian beaver, which differ in fur color and in the shape of the skull and tail. A big beaver can reach 50 kg (110 lb). Look for a stout body, a big head, long chisel-like front teeth, hand-like front feet, webbed hind feet and a flat, scaly tail. They live along rivers, streams, lakes and ponds and eat tree bark, water plants, grasses and sedges.

Using branches, plants, rocks and mud, beavers build dams that hold back water and create ponds, then put up lodges in those ponds for shelter. The wetlands they make support many other species, so beavers count as a keystone species. Adults live in monogamous pairs with their young. After their first year, the kids help fix dams and lodges, and older siblings may help care for new babies.

Did you know?

• To mark territory, beavers pile up scent mounds of mud and debris laced with castoreum.
• Castoreum has found uses in perfume, medicine and food flavoring.
• Demand for beaver pelts helped drive the fur trade.