North American beaver, Canadian beaver
The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is a semiaquatic animal native to North America. It is one of the official national wildlife of Canada symbols and is the official state mammal of Oregon and New York.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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Canada Province AnimalsThe fur of this animal consists of long, coarse outer hairs and short, fine inner hairs (see Double coat). The fur has a range of colors but usually is dark brown. Scent glands under the tail secrete an oily substance known as castoreum, which the beaver uses to waterproof its fur. There is also another set of oil glands producing unique chemical identifiers in the form of waxy esters and fatty acids. The lush, workable fur was made into a number of products, most notably hats. The beaver has many traits suited to the semiaquatic lifestyle. It has a large, flat, paddle-shaped tail and large, webbed hind feet. The unwebbed front paws are smaller, with claws. The forepaws are highly dextrous and are used both for digging and folding individual leaves into their mouth and to rotate small, pencil-sized stems as they gnaw off the bark. The eyes are covered by a nictitating membrane which allows the beaver to see underwater. The nostrils and ears are sealed while submerged. Their lips can be closed behind their front teeth so that they can continue to gnaw underwater. A thick layer of fat under its skin insulates the beaver from its cold water environment.
Before their near-extirpation by trapping in North America, these animals lived from south of the arctic tundra to the deserts of northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. They are widely distributed in boreal and temperate ecoregions, where populations are rebounding from historic over-exploitation. Recently, American beavers have been observed colonizing arctic tundra, likely as a result of climate-induced increases in riparian shrubs.
American beavers are highly sociable animals. They make up colonies - family groups of about 8 individuals in each one – and live within a hierarchy. Beavers are very territorial, protecting their home range from other beaver colonies. The period of their highest activity is the nighttime, though sometimes they can be seen in the daytime, more frequently in the twilight. In search of food, beavers are ready to pass long distances. When the source of food is found, a beaver opens water canals to it in order to transport the food across the water to its lodge. Beavers also pile up branches and sticks under the water as winter supplies. In areas of fast water flow beavers construct dams to slow down the stream. Their lodges are very firm to be able to serve as shelters. Beavers construct dams, depending on the speed of the water stream: if the stream is strong, dams are built in a way so as to withstand the pressure of water flow and not be washed away.
American beavers are herbivores and lignivores. They feed on the bark of trees and cambium - the inner layer, which is under the bark. The favorite trees include willows, aspen trees, alders, maples, and birches. Along with these, beavers feed upon aquatic plants meanwhile not missing roots and buds.
American beavers are monogamous, meaning that they mate once in a lifetime. A lodge serves as a home for a family - a couple and their young (until reaching the age of 1 year). The mating period takes place during winter (January-March) in the north and in late autumn (November-December) - in southern regions. Gestation lasts 3 months, after which 3-6 babies are born. The young are born with dense coat and open eyes. They begin swimming on the very first day of their lives. A few days later their parents take the babies to travel around the home range and explore the world. As a general rule, the young are weaned no later than 2 weeks while sometimes it can take up to 3 months. Parents look after them until they are at least 2 years old after which young leave. Both males and females of American beaver become reproductively mature at 3 years of age.
Beavers attract hunters for their pelts. On the other hand, near human settlements, beavers are killed for building dams and destroying trees, thus disturbing human life. In addition, beavers are susceptible to tularemia – an animal disease, common in North America. And finally, a human disturbance may put beavers in real danger: people kill them for pelts and persecute them from their habitat, not speaking about pollution, which promotes wound infection.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the American beaver total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
The American beaver lives in marshy areas which slow down water streams in a case of a flood. The beaver hinders soil erosion and promotes water level rise. Sludge occurs upstream of the dikes thus putting toxins out of action. Ponds start to grow from water, supported by dams, after which lilies appear. And then, when the lodges are left by beavers, eventually the dams start decaying, giving way to meadows.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...