Beavers are a genus of mammals of the rodent order, which includes two species: the common beaver (Castor fiber), a resident Atlantic coast to the Baikal region and Mongolia, and the Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis), found in North America.
The beaver's body weight is about 30 kg, the body length reaches 1-1.5 m, females are usually slightly larger in size than males. The rodent has a blunt muzzle, small ears, short, strong legs with powerful claws. The beaver's fur consists of two layers: on top there are hard red-brown guard hairs, and underneath there is a thick gray undercoat that protects the beaver from hypothermia. The tail is bare, black, flattened and wide, covered with scales. Near the base of the tail are two glands that produce an odorous substance known as “beaver squirt.”
Beavers are herbivorous rodents. Their diet includes bark and shoots of trees (aspen, willow, poplar, birch), various herbaceous plants (water lily, egg capsule, iris, cattail, reed). They can also feed on hazel, linden, elm, and bird cherry. They readily eat acorns. Large teeth and a strong bite help beavers eat fairly hard foods. plant food, and their microflora intestinal tract digests cellulose foods well.
Daily allowance required amount food reaches 20% of a beaver's weight.
IN summer period Beavers' diet is dominated by herbaceous food; in the fall, rodents actively prepare woody food for the winter. Each family stores 60-70 m3 of wood. Beavers leave their supplies in the water, where they store nutritional quality until the end of winter.
Until the twentieth century, beavers were very widespread, but due to their mass extermination, their habitat in Lately decreased significantly. The common beaver is found in Europe, Russia, China and Mongolia. Its closest relative, the Canadian beaver, lives in North America.
Common Beaver Species
The body length is 1-1.3 m, height is about 35.5 cm, weight is in the range of 30-32 kg. The body is squat, the paws are shortened with five fingers, the hind legs are stronger than the front ones. Swimming membranes are located between the fingers. The claws are strong and flat. The tail is paddle-shaped, flat, reaches 30 cm in length and 10-13 cm in width. The tail is pubescent only at the base, the rest of its surface is covered with horny scutes. The eyes are small, the ears are wide, short, and slightly protrude above the fur. Under water, the ears and nostrils close, and the eyes have special nictitating membranes. The common beaver has beautiful fur made up of coarse guard hairs and a thick, silky undercoat. The coat color ranges from light chestnut to dark brown, sometimes black. The tail and paws are black. Molting occurs once a year.
In the anal area there are paired glands, wen and the so-called “beaver stream”, the smell of which is a guide for other beavers, as it informs about the border of the family’s territory.
The common beaver is distributed in Europe (Scandinavian countries, France, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine), Russia, Mongolia and China.
Body length 90-117 cm; weight about 32 kg. The body is round, the chest is wide, the head is short with large dark ears and bulging eyes. The coat color is reddish or blackish brown. Tail length 20-25 cm, width 13-15 cm, oval shape, pointed end, surface covered with black horny scutes.
The species is distributed in North America, Alaska, Canada, USA, and Mexico. It was introduced to the Scandinavian countries and Russia.
Sexual dimorphism in beavers is weakly expressed, females are slightly larger in size than males.
Beavers usually live along the banks of forest rivers, streams and lakes. They do not live on wide and fast rivers, as well as reservoirs that freeze to the bottom in winter. For these rodents, tree and shrub vegetation along the banks of reservoirs and an abundance of aquatic and coastal herbaceous vegetation are important. In suitable places, they build dams from fallen trees, construct canals, and use them to float logs to the dam.
Beavers have two types of housing: a burrow and a hut. The huts look like floating islands made of a mixture of brushwood and mud, their height is 1-3 meters, their diameter is up to 10 m, the entrance is located under water. Beavers spend the night in such huts, store food for the winter, and hide from predators.
Beavers dig burrows on steep and steep banks; these are complex labyrinths with 4-5 entrances. The walls and ceiling are leveled and compacted. Inside, at a depth of up to 1 m, a living chamber is arranged up to 1 width and height 40-50 cm. The floor is located 20 cm above the water level.
Beavers are excellent swimmers and divers; they can stay underwater for 10-15 minutes and swim up to 750 m during this time.
Beavers live either alone or in families of 5-8 individuals. The same family has occupied their plot for many years. Beavers do not walk 200 m from water. Rodents mark the boundaries of their territory with a beaver stream.
The main periods of beaver activity are night and twilight.
Beavers are monogamous rodents. Breeding occurs once a year. The mating season begins in mid-January and lasts until the end of February. Pregnancy lasts 105-107 days. One litter contains 1-6 cubs, which are born in April-May. Babies are born semi-sighted, well-furred, and their weight is approximately 0.45 kg. After a few days they can already swim. The female teaches them to swim, pushing them out of the hut into the underwater corridor. At 3-4 weeks, the beaver cubs begin to eat leaves and stems of grass, and until 3 months the mother feeds them with milk. The young live with their parents until they are two years old, after which they reach puberty and begin an independent life.
In captivity, the lifespan of beavers is up to 35 years, in the wild it is 10-17 years.
Natural enemies
Natural enemies of the river beaver are wolves, brown bears and foxes, but the most big damage The population of this species is brought about by humans, exterminating beavers for their valuable fur and meat.
- The common beaver is the largest rodent in Europe and the second largest in the world after.
- The word "beaver" comes from an Indo-European language and is an incomplete duplication of the name for the color brown.
- Until the middle of the 20th century, beaver fur was very popular in America, Europe and Russia, which is why the population of these animals decreased noticeably: there were 6-8 isolated populations of 1200 individuals left. To preserve the species, beaver hunting was prohibited. Currently, the common beaver has a minimal risk status, and the main threats to it are land reclamation activities, water pollution and hydroelectric power plants.
- In addition to beautiful and durable fur, beavers are a source of beaver stream, which is used in perfumery and medicine. Beaver meat is also edible, but may contain salmonellosis pathogens. According to church canons, it is considered fasting.
- In 2006, a beaver sculpture was unveiled in the city of Bobruisk (Belarus). There are also sculptures of this rodent in the Alpine Zoo (Innsbruck, Austria).
When talking about beavers, a river miracle with huge, yellow, sharp teeth capable of chewing through anything. These animals are indeed very toothy, but in nature they bring great benefits precisely thanks to their tireless jaws. Everyone knows that the beaver is a born builder. He is an example of perseverance and hard work. It was from these workers that people learned experience that was useful in the construction of dams. Sometimes there is something to learn from our smaller brothers. How does a beaver live, what does it eat, and how does it build its unique structures? You will learn about all this by reading the article.
The largest rodent
Nowadays, there are two species in nature and the European one. The differences between them are small, except that the European one is slightly smaller than the Canadian one. A long time ago, about 5 million years ago, beavers could measure their strength even with the owner of the forest himself - the bear. The huge ancestors of today's rodents have gone extinct, and today's dam builders are much smaller in size than their great-grandfathers.
An adult male beaver weighs approximately 20-25 kg, some bogatyrs reach a weight of 45 kg, and their length reaches 1.2 meters. The delightful tail occupies 15-20 cm, its width is almost equal to its length. This tail is also allocated important role keel - with its help the furry swimmer regulates the depth of immersion in the water. The beaver's completely transparent eyelids allow it to see everything underwater and navigate perfectly there.
There is something else interesting about the appearance of rodents: the claw on thumb split into two halves - this is a gift from nature, so that the animals have the opportunity to comb their fur. Continuing the conversation about limbs, I would like to note that they help beavers swim well. The hind legs are webbed, the same kind of membranes that ducks have. Thanks to them, swimmers can reach speeds of up to 10 km/h. The front paws are relatively small, without membranes, and equipped with impressive, powerful claws that can easily dig the ground. The front paws also act as hands - animals use them to carry clay and branches.
Beautiful thick fur and a thick layer of fat under the skin protect beavers from the cold. The animals carefully look after their fur coat, combing it with a natural comb. Thanks to oily liquid secreted by special glands, this wonderful fur does not get wet.
Animals' teeth grow throughout their lives, and if they are not regularly ground down on wood, they will reach unprecedented sizes.
The life of beavers in nature is full of dangers. Its duration is on average 13-15 years. In captivity they live 2-3 times longer.
All those animals that neighbor beavers entrust them with the mission of preserving and, if necessary, saving water and adjacent forest lands. It turns out that with their work, furry builders care not only about their well-being - the peace of their neighbors also depends on them.
Sound flowing water awakens a passion for construction in beavers, and they begin to act. They can build for days - day and night; it is impossible to find more hardworking workers. Beavers begin to develop new aquatic territory according to a plan developed over the years:
- A dam is being built that will turn the stream into a cozy and quiet pond.
- A system of canals is created to expand the holdings.
- A huge storage room is being built.
- A huge, multi-room house more than 1 meter high is being built. The walls of the house are built half a meter thick.
After just one week, the house is ready, the entrances are under water to protect the home from enemies. When a beaver works at a “sawmill”, harvesting wood, he is at risk. A tree can fall and crush a beaver, so only one goes for building materials, and at the same time for food, the rest of the family members are busy with other household chores. Good for these lumberjacks! After all, what does a beaver eat? Yes, with what they build their dams from. It is important to obtain building material, but food supplies for a family of rodents also need to be very large.
Faithful spouses and caring parents
Loyalty and devotion reign in the family of furry rodents. They do everything together throughout their lives, wisely distributing work among all family members. Young people can live with their parents for up to two years, after which the children must go to build their own home, trying to find a mate during their wanderings.
A mother beaver gives birth to a litter of 3 to 4 cubs weighing 0.5 kg each. Babies are born complete copies of their parents, only small. They are already wearing coats with big teeth and adorable tails. After two weeks, future lumberjacks are already gnawing on solid food. What the older beaver eats, the younger one also eats. One can only envy the family idyll in water houses!
The main menu of these hard-working rodents is herbaceous plants. What a beaver eats is often shown in cartoons. In most cases, we see on screens how these animals eat fish. This is not true - aquatic animals do not eat such food. They spend a lot of energy felling trees; they need to be replenished somehow in order to withstand such a load. And it’s definitely not fish that helps them with this!
What do beavers eat in the wild, and what are their favorite dishes? It is clearer than clear that this is a tree. Favorite delicacies are twigs of alder, aspen, and willow. A beaver eats up to 1 kg of wood per day. Bark, the woody pulp under the bark, is the best food for critters. They chew small twigs whole, like candy.
Such hard foods are difficult to chew and even more difficult to digest. Food system beavers are quite ready for this work.
In winter time
How do water workers behave in the cold season, because water bodies freeze and everything around is covered in snow? It’s hard for them, but if you prepare well for the winter, then the frosts won’t be scary. Most time the beaver sleeps in winter. But in order to sleep peacefully and on a full stomach, one family needs to prepare more than a ton of branches for the winter.
It is very cozy in a beaver hut, insulated for the winter. It’s only when the food runs out that the head of the family has to go fishing.
The body of beavers is adapted for swimming, and not for plowing snow, so they have a very difficult time in the cold and in snowdrifts. Therefore, they are making every effort to ensure that the reserves last until the weather warms up.
Curious facts
The life of beavers is very interesting; there are many interesting things in their way of life:
- Furry swimmers cover a distance of 700 meters underwater in 10-15 minutes.
- In just one night, a beaver can fell and clear a tree with a diameter of 30-40 cm.
- Territory of 3 square meters. km can be inhabited by just one family of beavers.
- Largest built beaver dam- 700 m in length, which is a world record. Although in the state of New Hampshire there is a larger dam - 1.2 km.
- In the city of Bobruisk there are two monuments to beavers, which is not surprising if you pay attention to the name of the city.
Learned. But now do you see who is in the picture? Do you know? Now we'll find out...
Capybara is a capybara, the largest living rodent in the world. It is found in central South America. Lives on the banks of reservoirs and in forest swamps. Swims well and spends most of its time in the water. Despite big sizes this animal, in South America Its domestication is widespread. The capybara's body length reaches one and a half meters, weight - sixty kilograms. It is difficult to compare the animal with some other animal, but outwardly it resembles guinea pig- similar cute face, small ears, sensitive nose. The capybara's hind legs have three toes, the front legs have four, and between its toes, like many waterfowl, there are membranes.
The first explorers of South America, having discovered the animal, thought about the question: what to call it and what genus it belongs to. It was unlike any known mammal. The muzzle resembled a guinea pig, but the body and legs resembled an ungulate. And yet it was classified as a rodent and called capybara, because. The capybara lived on the banks of reservoirs, swam well and spent a lot of time in the water. By the way, the capybara received its name in ancient times thanks to the Indians of South America. From their tongue" capybara" means - Master of the grass.
The main sense organs - eyes, nose, ears - are located high in this animal, which allows it to be almost completely immersed in water, waiting out the hot part of the day. Capybaras eat aquatic plants, therefore, they do not compete with other mammals and easily occupy their evolutionary niche, without at all interfering with other animals and without depriving them of rich food in the pastures. Thanks to this, this type of animal has survived to this day; their larger counterparts, who lived in ancient times, have become extinct. Natural enemies In nature, capybaras are jaguars on land, caimans and anacondas in water.
These animals usually live in small groups (herds). The herd consists of a dominant male, several females, subordinate males and cubs. The situation in the herd is usually calm, because Capybaras are very peaceful by nature. Conflicts occur very rarely - there is a clear hierarchy, everyone obeys the leader of the herd.
The herd moves very calmly and leisurely along the banks of rivers and swamps, changing feeding places. Capybaras are most active in the mornings and evenings. At night, they lie down directly in open places and do not dig holes for themselves. During the day, during the heat, they usually hide in thickets of plants or stay in the water.
On average, a female capybara gives birth to four babies. The mother feeds them with milk for sixteen weeks, despite the fact that the cubs are born quite independent, with with open eyes, hairline and the ability to immediately follow the herd. The kids are very cared for. All females in the herd, regardless of status, are involved in caring for the cubs. Lifespan in wildlife for the capybara it is about nine to ten years; in captivity it extends to twelve years. The animal leads a very calm, measured lifestyle. The herd peacefully grazes on the shore of a reservoir, it is very easy to frighten it, while it hides either in the forest or in the water, does not show aggressiveness, and will not defend itself when attacked; rather, it will flee.
During the exploration of South America, the capybara was hunted by people. The pioneers liked it, and they began to use it for food. To diversify the diet of the conquerors by fast days, the Pope, ordered that the capybara be considered a fish. In later times, farmers actively exterminated the animal, because... it was believed that they ate crops in the fields. Once it was established that the capybaras fed exclusively on algae, they were left alone. Moreover, these days, people fell in love with them for their calm, gentle disposition and began to tame them. Animals easily become attached to humans, they are trusting, affectionate and completely non-aggressive.
In South America, there are special farms for breeding capybaras. In captivity, animals reproduce quite quickly, become accustomed to home conditions, and many people take them as pets. Capybaras are very clean and, like dogs, are walked on a leash. They become favorites of their owners, as they are very sociable, affectionate and often lay their heads on their laps, asking for gentle stroking or scratching behind the ears.
In our conditions, these peace-loving animals cannot, of course, be kept. Although, many exotic lovers, looking into their smart, trusting eyes, would want to have such a capybara in their home.
The common beaver is a large semi-aquatic animal, a representative of the order Rodents. Also called the common beaver river beaver. The beast amazes with his skills: he is an experienced builder, an excellent owner and exemplary family man. The common beaver is the second largest rodent in the world. In this article you will find a description and photo of the common beaver and learn a lot of new and interesting things about these rodents.
Before I tell you what beavers look like, I would like to clarify a little. Very often when people use the words beaver and beaver, they mean the same thing - that is, the rodent itself. But these two words have different meanings. So, beaver is the name of the animal, and its fur is called beaver.
So what do beavers look like? A common beaver looks like large rodent. The animal’s body length reaches 1 meter, height – up to 35 cm, with a body weight of 32 kg. The beaver's tail is up to 30 cm long and up to 13 cm wide. Amazing fact of these rodents is that the females are larger than the males.
The common beaver has short legs and a squat body. The hind legs of the river beaver are much stronger than the front ones. Second finger hind legs has a claw that is forked - the beaver combs its fur with it like a comb. These animals carefully look after their “fur coat”.
On its paws the rodent has swimming membranes and strong thickened claws. Beavers look quite unusual because of their amazing tail. The beaver's tail resembles an oar, it is flat, without hair and covered with horny scales.
The common beaver has a large head with a narrow muzzle, small eyes and prominent incisors at the front. A beaver's teeth are special; they are covered with durable enamel, grow throughout their lives and sharpen themselves. The common beaver has small and short ears that are barely visible in the thick fur. Despite this, the animal has excellent hearing.
Beavers look like real fur barons, because they have beautiful shiny fur. Beaver fur has two layers, which keeps this rodent warm and dry in cold winters. The first layer of beaver fur consists of coarse long hair, and the second is a very thick silky undercoat. The river beaver is also protected from the cold by the presence of a layer of fat under its skin.
Beavers look inconspicuous due to their coloring. The fur of the common beaver is light chestnut or dark brown, sometimes even black. The tail and limbs of the animal are black. The tail of the common beaver has wen and special glands.
The odorous substance produced by the tail glands of rodents is called beaver squirt. And the secret of the wen contains all the information about the owner, carries information about his age and gender. A guide to other beavers about the boundaries of the settlement territory is the smell of the beaver stream, which is unique for each individual. In the wild, the common beaver lives on average 15 years.
Beavers live in Europe (Scandinavian countries), France (lower Rhone River), Germany (Elbe River basin) and Poland (Vistula River basin). Beavers are also found in forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
In Russia, the beaver lives in the Northern Trans-Urals. Beavers live scatteredly in the upper reaches of the Yenisei River, in Kuzbass ( Kemerovo region), in the Baikal region, in the Khabarovsk Territory, in Kamchatka, in the Tomsk region. In addition, beavers are found in Mongolia and Northwestern China.
Beavers live with full equipment to lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Their ear openings and nostrils close underwater. And special nictitating membranes cover their eyes, which allows them to see well in the water. Oral cavity designed so that water does not get into it while the animal is working under water. The function of a rudder in the water is performed by the beaver's tail.
Beavers live, preferring to inhabit the banks of calm rivers and lakes, ponds and reservoirs. They avoid fast and wide rivers, as well as bodies of water that freeze to the bottom in winter. For these rodents, it is important to have trees made of soft hardwood, the presence of aquatic, herbaceous and shrub vegetation in coastal areas and along the banks of the reservoir.
Beavers dive and swim well. Thanks to their large lungs, they can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes and swim up to 750 meters during this time. Therefore, beavers feel more confident in water than on land.
Beavers live in families (up to 8 individuals) or alone. Family consists of married couple and young beavers (broods over the last two years). The same plot can be used by a family for many generations. Small bodies of water are occupied by single beavers or one family. Larger reservoirs accommodate several families, and the length of each individual family plot along the shore ranges from 300 meters to 3 km. Beavers live near water and do not move away from coastline more than 200 meters.
The length of the family plot depends on the abundance of food. In places where vegetation is abundant, the areas of these animals can border each other and even intersect. Beavers mark the boundaries of their territories. Beavers communicate using scent marks. Beavers communicate with each other using postures, striking the water with their tails, and whistling-like calls. In case of danger, the beaver loudly slaps its tail on the water and dives. This clap gives an alarm to all beavers within earshot.
At night and at dusk, beavers are active. In summer, they leave their homes at dusk and work until dawn. In the fall, beavers prepare for winter and begin to prepare food. The working day increases to 10 hours. In winter, beavers are less active work activity decreases and moves during daylight hours. Beavers spend the winter, almost never appearing on the surface, but they do not hibernate. At temperatures below −20 °C, the beaver spends the winter surrounded by its family, remaining in its warm home.
Beavers are building new house In the end of August. Lonely beavers do not build buildings, but family beavers work very hard. What is the name of a beaver's home? In one beaver settlement there are two types of dwellings. In the first case, the beaver's home is called a burrow. Beavers live in burrows; they dig them in steep, steep banks. For safety, the entrance to such a beaver's home is always under water. Beaver burrows are a kind of labyrinth that has 4 entrances. The walls and ceiling of the beaver's hole are carefully leveled.
The beaver's living house inside the hole is located at a depth of up to 1 meter and a width of just over a meter, with a height of 50 cm. The floor is always above the water level. If the water in the river rises, the beaver raises the floor by scraping dirt from the ceiling. All construction activities of beavers are dictated by their desire for safety and comfort. Where it is impossible to dig holes, houses are built directly on the water in the shallow part of the reservoir. Such a beaver’s dwelling is called a hut, and beavers build these floating houses according to the principle of constructing a dam.
Beaver huts look like a cone-shaped island protruding from the water. The height of such a beaver house reaches 3 meters and a diameter of up to 12 meters; the entrance to the house is under water. Beaver lodge it is built from a pile of brushwood, which is held together by silt and earth. Beavers carefully coat the walls of their homes with silt and clay. Thus, the beaver's hut turns into a strong fortress, and air enters through the hole in the ceiling.
Inside the beaver lodge there are passages into the water and a platform that is located above the water level. When frosts come, beavers apply additional new layer clay onto the hut using the front paws. In winter, the beaver huts maintain above-zero temperatures, the water in the passages is not covered with a crust of ice, and the beavers calmly go under the ice of the reservoir. In winter, there is steam above the inhabited beaver lodges. Beavers are real clean people; they keep their homes clean, never littering them.
In bodies of water where the water level is variable, beavers build dams or ponds. Why do beavers build dams? The beaver dam allows them to increase and maintain the water level in the reservoir, and regulate it so that the entrances to the lodges do not dry out. The dam ensures the safety and security of the beaver lodge. Beavers build dams from branches, brushwood and tree trunks, holding them together with clay, silt and other materials. If there are stones at the bottom, they are also used in construction.
Beavers build dams in areas where trees grow closer to the shore. The construction of a beaver dam begins with the beavers diving and vertically sticking trunks into the bottom, strengthening the gaps with branches and filling the voids with silt, clay, and stones. If there is a tree that has fallen into the river, it often serves as a supporting frame. Beavers gradually cover it from all sides building materials. Often branches in beaver dams take root, which gives additional strength to the structure.
A beaver dam usually reaches a length of up to 30 meters, a width of up to 6 meters, and a height of usually 2 meters, but sometimes up to 4 meters. The beaver dam is a strong structure and can easily support the weight of a person. On average, it takes a beaver family about a month to build a dam. Beavers carefully ensure that the dam remains intact and immediately repair it if damage is detected.
To build a beaver dam and store food, beavers cut down trees. They gnaw them at the base, chew off branches, and divide the trunk into parts. A beaver cuts down a tree with a diameter of 7 cm in 5 minutes. A tree 40 cm in diameter is felled by a beaver and processed overnight, so that in the morning only a pointed stump and a pile of shavings remain.
The trunk of a tree, which the beaver has already worked on, but has not yet knocked down, takes on a characteristic “hourglass” shape. Some of the branches of the fallen tree are eaten by beavers on the spot. They carry the rest or float them across the water to the construction site of the dam or their house.
Every year, the well-trodden beaver routes gradually fill with water, forming beaver channels. Animals float wood food along them. The length of such channels can reach hundreds of meters. Beavers always keep their canals clean.
An area that has been transformed by beaver activity is called a beaver landscape. With your ability to change natural landscape they are second only to man. Beavers are one of the most unique animals because they are able to learn and improve their skills throughout their lives.
Beavers are vegetarians; they are exclusively herbivores. Beavers feed on tree bark and shoots. Beavers love birch, willow, aspen and poplar. Beavers also eat various herbaceous plants: water lilies, irises, cattails, reeds, and this list includes many items.
A large number of softwood trees are a necessary condition their habitat. Hazel, linden, elm, bird cherry and some other trees are not so important and significant in their diet. They usually do not eat alder and oak, but use them for buildings. But the beaver eats acorns willingly. Large teeth allow beavers to easily cope with tree food. Beavers typically feed on only a few tree species.
In summer, the proportion of grassy food that the beaver eats increases. In the fall, economic beavers begin to prepare woody food for the winter. Therefore, in winter, beavers feed on their reserves. Beavers put them in water, where they retain their nutritional qualities all winter.
The volume of supplies for a family can be very huge. To prevent food from freezing into the ice, beavers usually heat it below the water level. Therefore, even when the reservoir is covered with ice, food will remain available to the animals and the family will be provided with everything they need.
Baby beavers
Beavers are monogamous, once united, they live together all their lives and remain true friend to a friend. The female dominates the family. Beavers become capable of reproduction at 2 years of age. Offspring are born once a year. The mating season lasts from mid-January to the end of February. The duration of pregnancy is 3.5 months.
In April-May, from 2 to 6 beaver cubs are born. Beaver cubs are born sighted, well covered with fur, and weigh on average 0.5 kg. After 2 days, beaver cubs can already swim. Beavers take care of their young.
At the age of 1 month, beaver cubs switch to a plant diet, but the mother continues to feed on milk for up to 3 months. Grown-up beavers usually do not leave their parents for another 2 years, after which the young animals move out.
How is a beaver useful and what are beavers for?
Beavers are useful because their appearance in rivers has a beneficial effect on ecological system. The beaver is especially useful in building its dams. Various living creatures and waterfowl settle in them, bringing fish eggs on their legs, and fish appear in the reservoir. Beavers are needed because their dams help purify water, they retain silt and reduce turbidity.
Beavers are peaceful animals, but they also have enemies in nature - brown bears, wolves and foxes. But the main threat to beavers is humans. As a result of hunting, the common beaver was on the verge of extinction by the beginning of the 20th century. Beavers are hunted for their fur. In addition, they produce a beaver stream, which is used in perfumery and medicine.
To preserve this valuable animal, effective measures were taken to protect and restore its numbers. By the beginning of the 21st century, the beaver population had recovered. Now the common beaver has a minimum risk status in the International Red Book. Currently, the main threat to it is water pollution and the construction of hydroelectric power plants.
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The common beaver is a large and semi-aquatic animal that belongs to the order Rodents. The second name of the beaver is “river beaver”. This creature surprises people with its skills and abilities: the creature is capable of excellent construction, and it is also a good owner and family partner. The beaver ranks second in size among Rodents from all over the world. To get to know this creature better, you can look at the photos that are scattered on the Internet.
The main features of the appearance of the animal
Before we begin to characterize appearance animal, it is worth noting one fact. People most often, when they say the words beaver and beaver, mean the same meaning. But it's worth remembering that these are completely two different words and they are used in different meanings. So, the beaver is itself Living being, and the beaver is the fur of the animal:
Beavers can camouflage well with their discreet fur colors. Thus, the fur color of a representative of beavers has a light chestnut or dark brown tint, in some cases it can be black. The rodent's tail and paws are painted black. The beaver's tail has special wen, as well as specialized glands.
Thus, specialists call the bad-smelling substance that is formed from the tail glands of the common beaver beaver stream. The secret of wen has all the information about the rodent, carries information about his age, as well as gender. The main mark that warns other individuals about the border of the beaver's territory is the smell of the beaver stream, which smells completely differently for each individual individual. Life expectancy of the common beaver natural conditions is about 15 years.
Photos of beavers
Where do beavers live?
These creatures prefer to live in Europe (Scandinavian countries), in France (in the lower reaches of the Rhone River), in Germany (on the Elbe River), and also in Poland (along the banks of the Vistula River). Rodents also live in forest or forest-steppe regions of the European part of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
On the territory of Russia, the common beaver can be found in the Northern Trans-Urals. Beavers live in separate groups in the upper reaches of the Yenisei River, in Kuzbass (Kemerovo region), in Khabarovsk Territory, in the Tomsk region, Kamchatka and the Baikal region. In addition, the animal can easily be found in Mongolia or Northwestern China.
Rodents live with a special device that helps them lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Underwater, the creature's ear openings and nostrils close tightly. Also, special nictitating membranes are displaced onto the eyes, thanks to which the beaver can clearly look around under water. The animal's mouth is formed in such a way that excess water could not hit it while the animal was diligently swimming under the surface of the water. The function of controlling the coordination of movement under water is performed by the tail of the animal.
When choosing a place for further residence, beavers prefer to occupy the territories of calm, quiet rivers, lakes, reservoirs, as well as various ponds. Rodents do not settle in places fast current rivers or where rivers are excessively wide. Beavers also avoid bodies of water, which freeze to the very bottom in winter. For common beavers It is important to have plenty of softwood and deciduous trees nearby, as well as aquatic, herbaceous and shrubby grass in the bank areas and within the river itself.
Beavers are excellent swimmers and divers. With the help of its uniquely designed lungs, the animal can stay under water for about 15 minutes and during this time swim a distance of 750 meters. It is for this reason that rodents feel more comfortable underwater compared to the surface of the earth.
What do beavers eat in the wild?
Beavers are predominantly vegetarian in their diet and belong to the plant type of mammals. Beavers rely on tree shoots and bark to feed on them. Beavers love to eat poplar, aspen, birch or willow. The beavers are also not averse to eating herbaceous plants: reeds, cattails, water lilies, iris, this list I could go on for a very long time.
What do beavers eat? Big number trees soft breed these animals need for food and living. Bird cherry, elm, linden, hazel and other trees are important for the diet of rodents. Trees such as oak and alder are not usually consumed by animals, but well used in their buildings and designs. But the rodent will never refuse to eat acorns. Strong and large teeth easily cope with tree food. Most often, rodents use only a few tree species located nearby as food.
IN summer season the amount of grass food for the animal increases comparatively. IN autumn period All beavers begin carefully preparing woody food for the winter. Throughout the winter, beavers consume mainly food stored in advance. Beavers place them in water so that they retain food throughout the winter. healthy vitamins and microelements.
The amount of wood food reserves for the entire family of rodents can be very large. So, in order to prevent food from freezing into ice, animals usually placed it is below the water level. Even when the reservoir is completely covered with ice, food remains freely available for the beavers, so the family will definitely not have to starve.
Giving birth and raising babies
Beavers are considered monogamous animals. If they once connect with the opposite sex, then they remain with their soulmate throughout their lives. The female is usually dominant in the family. By the age of 2 years, beavers become capable of fully reproducing. Offspring common beavers can only be brought once a year. The onset of mating season occurs in mid-January and continues until the very end of February. The gestation period for babies lasts 3.5 months.
In April-May, from 2 to 6 beaver cubs are born. Beaver babies emerge sighted and covered with fur; the body weight of the newborn is 0.5 kg. A few days after birth, babies can already swim in the water. Adults take good and careful care of their babies.
By 1 month of life, small cubs are already able to consume plant foods, but the female continues to feed them milk until they reach 3 months. Adults remain close to their family for another 2 years, after which they calmly move out and begin an independent life.
Benefits of beavers for humans
- The main advantage of beavers is their residence in rivers, as this has a positive effect on the ecological system. Particularly great benefits come from the construction of beaver dams. Small animals prefer to settle in these places, as well as waterfowl, which carry eggs on their legs, resulting in fish appearing in the reservoir. Beavers also influence water purification, because their dams retain silt and reduce the turbidity of the water.
- This rodent friendly enough. But at the same time he has some enemies - brown bears, foxes and wolves. The greatest danger to animals is man himself. That is why, to preserve the population of this animal, effective measures were introduced to protect individuals and restore their numbers.
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