About Beaver

Beavers provide many ecological benefits, but they can also be a problem for landowners and property managers. Beavers are unique in that they alter their environment to create and maintain their ideal habitat by cutting down trees and creating dams and ponds. They are often referred to as 'ecosystem engineers' because they maintain and enhance wetland ecosystems that provide habitat for fish, birds, moose, insects, and many other animals.  

Tree that a beaver had shaved down
A beaver slide trail shows that beaver are in the area. Beaver will cut down trees far from their dams, limb up the trees, and drag the smaller branches to the dam.

A beaver scent pile by a river
Beavers create scent piles, known as "middens," to mark their territory with powerful olfactory signals.

Three beaver swimming in water
Beaver are very social and live in groups of families called colonies. They give birth to 1-4 kits which leave the colony at about 2 years old.

Wolf attacking a beaver
Beaver predators include large mammals such as bears, bobcats, mountain lions-even the occasional wolf!

 

Books About Beaver
The Beaver: Its Life and Impact, by Dietland Muller-Schwarze

Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, by Ben Goldfarb ​

The Beaver Manifesto, by Glynnis Hood

Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America, by Eric Jay Dolin

Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America, by Leila Philips

Videos & News About Beaver