Kingdom : Animalia Class : Mammalia Family : Castoridae Scientific Name : Castor Canadensis Size(L) : 80cm - 120cm (31in - 47in) Weight : 16kg - 27kg (35lbs - 60lbs) Top Speed : 55km/h (34mph) Life Span : 15 - 20 Years Colour : Brown, Grey Skin Type : Fur Distinctive Features : Transparent eyelids and big, flat tail
- Beavers are found in the European and North American forests.
- Beavers are best known for their distinctive home building in rivers and streams.
- They build strong dams with twigs, sticks, leaves and mud where they can swim and catch their food.
- Distinctively, they have transparent eyelids and big flat tails.
- They use their large flat tails to build their dams and swim.
- The beavers build one or more dams in their habitat to have deep still water to protect themselves from their predators.
- The dams are also used by them to float food and building materials along the river.
- Beavers are very good swimmers and are known to spend around 15 minutes in water at a stretch.
- They do not hibernate in winters but store food like logs and sticks underwater which can be consumed through the winter.
- They are herbivores mainly feeding on tree barks, willows and water lilies.
- They have their natural predators in Wolves, Bears and lynx.
- They have a unique way of signaling danger when frightened, they make loud noise by forcefully slapping water.
- This noise is heard by other beavers in and out of water and they all dive in deep for some time.
- Tree harvesting and flooding of waterways by beavers may interfere with human land uses.
- This could be a reason for hunting beavers apart from hunting them for their glands.
- Beaver’s glands are used by humans to make medicines and perfumes.
- Due to human hunting, their numbers are declining and they are considered a threatened species today.