Photo by Tony LePrieur / Getty Images
As the second-largest rodent in the world (behind South America’s capybaras), beavers play a crucial role in shaping ecosystems, creating habitats, and even combating climate change. Let’s dive into some incredible facts about these industrious animals!
1 Beavers Keep Fresh Water on the Land. Beavers are a keystone species famous for building dams, which create wetlands that support countless other species. By slowing down water flow, their structures prevent erosion, filter pollutants, and provide habitat for fish, birds, amphibians, insects and even endangered species. These wetlands also help store water during droughts and reduce flooding.
2 A Furry Submarine, Built to Swim. Beavers are fantastic swimmers. They have large, webbed hind feet that propel them forward, while their smaller front paws remain free for carrying materials and digging. Their broad, flat-tail helps acts like a rudder and is also used to slap the water as a warning signal. Their thick fur traps air, keeping them warm and buoyant even in cold water. When submerged, their nostrils and ears close automatically, and a transparent membrane covers their eyes like swimming goggles. They also have unique lips that close behind their large, ever-growing incisors, enabling them to carry branches without swallowing water.
3 Let’s eat! Beavers are herbivores and eat a wide range of foods, from the inner bark of deciduous trees to herbaceous matter including grasses, clover, leaves, roots, bulbs, and rhizomes. Some of their favourite foods include willow, aspen, birch and cattails. Their front teeth (incisors) continue to grow throughout their lives and will outgrow their skull if not kept sharp by chewing on wood regularly.
4 Beaver Lodges Are Cozy and Well-Designed. Beaver lodges are built from branches, sticks, and mud, creating a sturdy, insulated shelter that protects them from predators like wolves and bears. Inside, their lodge has a dry, elevated nesting area with at least one underwater entrance, allowing beavers to enter and exit safely while staying hidden from land-based threats.
Image via Q-Files.com.
5 Beaver Families Stick Together. Beavers are highly social animals that live in family groups called colonies. A colony typically consists of a monogamous pair, their young (kits), and offspring from previous years. Kits stay with their parents for about two years, learning essential survival skills before setting off to create their own lodges.
6 Water – Dam it! Beavers are motivated by the sound and feel of running water. They have a strong instinct to build dams to slow the flow of water, and to create deep ponds to protect themselves from predators.
Photo by Tony LePrieur / Getty Images
7 Beavers Were Once Hunted to Near Extinction. Beaver populations drastically declined in the past due to the fur trade. Their pelts were highly valued for making felt hats for Europeans. While in many areas, populations of beavers have returned, they are nowhere near the highs they used to be.
8 Beavers can save people money. Studies and projects have shown that beavers can save local governments and private landowners substantial amounts of money in flood control, water management, environmental protection, forest fire and erosion prevention. Additionally, researchers have noted that the ecosystem services provided by beavers far outweigh the costs of managing their presence in certain areas. For example, a 2020 study conducted by researchers from the University of Helsinki found that beavers provide services worth as much as $133 million USD per hectare to humans through the various ways in which they modify the environment and recently beavers are being credited with saving Czech Republic taxpayers more than $1 million by building dams.
9 Beaver Butts. Castoreum is a substance that beavers make in special scent glands near their tails. It has a musky, slightly sweet smell, and beavers use it to mark their territory. It’s a mix of gland secretions and the beaver’s urine, and they sometimes mix it with things like tree bark and twigs when building their dams and lodges. In the past, castoreum was used in perfumes because of its unique scent, which some describe as leathery, woody, and kind of vanilla-like. It was also used in food, especially for vanilla flavouring. While some manufacturers still use castoreum for perfume or flavouring, most companies rely on synthetic versions or plant-based alternatives (thank goodness!).
⑩ Cultural Significance. In many Indigenous cultures, the beaver is a symbol of hard work, determination, and resourcefulness. Beavers are often viewed as sacred animals, embodying qualities such as cooperation, creation, and perseverance. Their behaviors, such as building dams and creating wetlands, are seen as a reflection of harmony with nature and the interconnectedness of all living things. For example, in some traditions, beavers are considered to have a special role in the creation of the world and the maintenance of balance within ecosystems.
