Beaver

NPS Photo/Kris Brown

Scientific Name

Castor canadensis

Identification

• 25-90 lbs
• Large rodents with stocky bodies, webbed hind feet, and a flat, scaley tail
• Have a thick, brown fur coat

Range and Habitat

Beavers are widely distributed across North America but are not generally found in California or the desert regions of the southwest. They live in habitats where they can find an ideal food supply, which generally includes streams, rivers, marshes, and small lakes. Beavers are semi-aquatic and are strong swimmers. They are one of the few mammal species that modify their habitats by building dams that create ponds with slow-moving water. Beaver dams and ponds create new habitats that can support an incredibly diverse biological community.

 

NE Game and Parks Commission

Diet

A beaver’s diet shifts seasonally. During the summer, beavers will primarily eat non-woody vegetation like corn, watercress, and other green, leafy plants. Outside of the growing season—like during the winter—beavers will eat woody vegetation like tree bark, twigs from willows, cottonwoods, oaks, and more tree species. Their strong, orange teeth are the perfect adaptation that helps them to eat and chew the tough woody plants.

Fun Facts

• Beavers are considered “ecosystem engineers” since they create new habitats with their dams that other animals rely on.
• Beavers' orange front teeth are called incisors, and these teeth grow constantly throughout their life.
• They have transparent eyelids for swimming.

 

Learn About More Mammals!