Animal Series: North American Beaver - castor canadensis

kansuze (63)in #animal • 5 years ago

When explorers first came to Canada, they were more interested in fishing, whaling and searching for gold. The fur trade was minor until fashions changed in Europe to favor felt hats, the best of which were made from the underfur of beavers. By the 1650s, Russian and Baltic beavers were scarce and the North American fur trade was booming.

This photo is of the Beaver diorama in the Ottawa Museum of Nature. It depicts the area of Lac Fortune, in Gatineau Park, Quebec, just across the provincial border from Ottawa.

Beavers are the second largest rodent in the world and the largest in North America. They are well suited to their semi-aquatic life, with thick waterproof fur, webbed feet for swimming, a large flat tail that acts as a rudder, ears and nostrils they can close, and a transparent membrane over their eyes. Colors range from light-brown to reddish-brown to brown-black.

A beaver typically weighs 60 lbs (27 kilograms) and is 23-29 inches (60-100 cms) without the tail which adds another 7.75-12 inches (20-30.5 cms) to its length. They continue to grow throughout their average 24 year lifespan.

Historically, their range was most of North America from Northern Mexico to the edge of the Arctic Ocean but they are now extinct in Mexico and some US states.

Inhabiting both forested areas with streams, or water courses bordered by deciduous trees, a family of beavers live in a lodge made of mud and sticks in a pond of their own making. They create it by cutting down trees to build a log and mud dam, or dams, across the stream. The pond provides protection from predators and the entrances to the lodge are all underwater. When you approach a beaver pond, it's not unusual to hear one loud smack as the beaver slaps the water with its broad tail to warn other beavers of predators. On average, a beaver fells 216 trees per year using their intimidating .79-.98 inch (20-25 mm) long incisors.

In winter, beavers eat the bark off of sticks they have stored in their underwater cache as well as the roots and stems of aquatic plants. In summer, they also eat grasses, leaves and fruit.

Young kits, born in April to June, are nursed by their mother and start to feed on branches and leaves when they are two to three weeks old. They stay in the same lodge as their parents until they are two years old.

The beaver is the national animal of Canada and has appeared on the nickel since 1937.