If a beaver feels threatened, it will slap its tail on the surface of the water to warn other beavers in the area, then it will dive deep underwater to stay safe. Beavers can be found around lakes and streams all over Canada.
In the past, beavers were over-hunted for their fur and meat, threatening the population. They have come back, however, thanks to wetland rehabilitation and other conservation efforts. Dams usually average about metres in length.
The beaver was made an official emblem of Canada in in recognition of the importance of the fur trade. The beaver has long been an animal of importance to First Nations in North America, and beaver pelts formed the basis of trade with European settlers starting in the s. View the discussion thread. The RCGS acknowledges that its offices are located on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Peoples, who have been guardians of, and in relationship with, these lands for thousands of years.
The RCGS is a registered charity. Click here to learn more. Donate and Support Geography in Canada. The Royal Canadian Geographical Society family of sites:.
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Canadian Geographic Photo Club. Canadian Geographic Education. Canadian Geographic student geography challenge. Help designate an official bird for Canada. Help improve energy literacy in Canada. All about Energy. Grade 8 students exploring Parks Canada sites. Compare countries' statistics and explore our changing world. Innovative projects in the developing world. Adult beavers typically weigh 45 to 60 pounds, but have been known to grow to pounds.
Beavers and humans are alike in their ability to greatly alter their habitats to suit their own needs. To obtain food and building materials, beavers are well known for their ability to topple large trees using nothing but their specially adapted incisor teeth and powerful lower jaw muscles. Beaver teeth never stop growing, so they do not become too worn despite years of chewing hardwoods. Their four front teeth incisors are self-sharpening due to hard orange enamel on the front of the tooth and a softer dentin on the back.
Therefore as beavers chew wood the softer backside of the tooth wears faster, creating a chisel-like cutting surface. Beavers will also slap their tail on the surface of the water as a danger warning to other beavers or sometimes in play.
They do not use it to carry mud. Beavers are aquatic mammals with large webbed hind feet ideal for swimming, and hand-like front paws that allow them to manipulate objects with great dexterity. They have excellent senses of hearing and smell, and rely on these senses more than their less developed sense of eyesight. When swimming underwater a protective transparent membrane will cover their eyes, and flaps close to keep water out of their nostrils and ears.
In addition, behind their incisors they have inner lips that allow them to carry sticks in their mouths while swimming without getting a mouthful of water. Beaver fur consists of short fine hairs for warmth and longer hairs for waterproofing. They have castor glands on the under side of their abdomen from which they can excrete an oily substance castor that they use in the grooming process, and to mark their territory. Beavers are pure vegetarians, subsisting solely on woody and aquatic vegetation.
They will eat fresh leaves, twigs, stems, and bark. Beavers will chew on any species of tree, but preferred species include alder, aspen, birch, cottonwood, maple, poplar and willow. Aquatic foodstuffs include cattails, water lilies, sedges and rushes.
Cattail and water lily tubers are favorites. Using their nimble front paws, beavers will roll lily pads like cigars to eat them. Beavers do not eat fish or other animals. In cold climates each Fall beavers will stockpile cache sticks underwater because they do not hibernate.
They live on these sticks because once their pond freezes they will no longer have access to trees on the land. Beavers remain inside their lodge all winter except when they swim under the ice to their food cache for a stick to nibble on. Beavers build and maintain houses called lodges. There are two main types, the conical lodge and the bank lodge.
The most recognized type is the conical shaped dwelling surrounded by water. It is made from sticks, mud and rocks. The lodges are made of sticks, mud and rocks. In faster rivers and streams, beavers sometimes build lodges into the sides of banks. Some lodges are large enough to fit a human inside them. They mate in January-February, and one to eight young are born in April-May. Beavers reach maturity in years and live about 16 years.
Female beavers are sexually mature at 2. They give birth to one litter of kits per year, usually between April and July. The gestation period is about 3 months. The litter usually consists of 4 kits, but up to 8 is possible. They are born with all of their fur, their eyes open, and their incisor teeth erupted.
The young usually stay with their parents for years and then leave to make their own homes. Beavers eat bark and cambium the softer growing tissue under the bark of trees. Their favorites include willow, maple, poplar, beech, birch, alder, and aspen trees.
They also eat water vegetation as well as buds and roots. Cellulose, which usually cannot be digested by mammals, is a major component of their diet. Beavers have microorganisms in their cecum a sac between the large and small intestine TO digest this material.
0コメント