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 The
beaver is a large, semi-aquatic animal. Beavers
usually live in forests in North America.
They are also found in parts of Europe and Asia. They are good swimmers
and can swim up to 8 kilometers per hour. And they can swim
underwater for up to 15 minutes.
Their ears and nostrils can close while they are underwater.
Their eyelids protect their eyes while
swimming.
The beaver is the largest rodent in North America.
Adult beavers weigh about 20 kilograms.
But they can be as large as 35 kilograms. They are about 30 centimeters
tall and about 90 centimeters long. Their flat, thick tail is about 30 centimeters
long. The wide tail acts as a flapper while swimming.
Their fingers have long claws, and the legs have
webbed feet and claws. Beavers are
plant eaters. They eat tree
bark, leaves, roots, and water plants.
 Beavers
build dams in a stream or river to create homes. They build
dams using sticks, bark, mud, and logs. Beavers cut down trees
for the dams, using their strong teeth. Beavers build dams that change
the course of streams and create ponds. Each beaver pond is
inhabited by one beaver family - two adults and usually 2-4 young
beavers. When the food supply around the beaver’s
home is dried up, they move to another place and start building a
new dam.
Beavers mate in January or February.
The babies are born in early spring. When the young beavers become 2 years old, they
start building and maintaining dams with adults.
They reach adulthood during their second winter.
Then, they move away to find a mate
and build their own dams. In the wild, their life span is about 20 years. |
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