Thursday, August 21, 2014

American Beaver — Nature's Architects, Constructioneers, Designers, Engineers, Lumberjacks, Repairmen, Swimmers



National Geographic   Beavers work around the clock to get their lodge built before winter sets in. Timber!

Beaver Biology

The beaver (Castor Canadensis) is North America's largest rodent. Adult beavers typically weigh 45 to 60 pounds, but have been known to grow to 100 pounds. Native Americans greatly respected beavers, calling them "Little People". 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.

The beaver's most distinctive feature is their large flat tail, which serves as a rudder when swimming, a prop when sitting or standing upright, and a storehouse of fat for the winter. 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.

American Beaver's are nature's version of architects, designers, engineers, lumberjacks, swimmers

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