The Lifecycle of a Beaver – From Habitat to Lifespan

The Lifecycle of a Beaver – From Habitat to Lifespan Habitat Beavers can be found throughout North America, with the exception of states such as California and Nevada, due to the desert climate. This also goes for some parts of Utah and Arizona.

The semi-aquatic rodent makes their home in ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes, streams, and other wetland areas. Beavers are one of the only mammals other than humans to alter their habitats.

Beavers build watertight dams made out of sticks woven with reeds, branches, and moss, sealed with mud. Dams reduce stream erosion by creating slow-moving ponds, which serve as habitats for a lot of small aquatic life. Building dams create new habitats that can support a diverse biological community.

As well as their dams, beavers also build lodges 2 meters tall or more and can reach 12 meters wide. Beavers tend to build these structures away from the shore and have one or more underwater entrances. The lodge will have a living chamber 1.2 meters wide and 0.6 meters high, insulated by walls ventilated by a small air hole in the roof, similar to the chimney.

Beavers will cover the floor in wood shavings to help absorb excess moisture while also serving as bedding.

Communication One of the primary communications beavers use among themselves and others is a slap of the tail against the surface of the water to indicate danger. This signal allows others to know to flee, while also serving the purpose of potentially scaring off a predator.

Beavers communicate the boundaries of their territory by depositing scent mounds on the edges. Beavers have castor and oil glands near the anus. Castor is a very pungent, thick substance that they use to mark these mounds and ward off potential threats.

Within the lodge and with their families, beavers do employ some vocalizations and postures to communicate. One common noise is to hiss when they are unhappy.

Diet Beavers are herbivores eating a diet primarily of leaves, woody stems, and aquatic plants. Many of their building materials are also some of their preferred foods, such as poplar, aspen, willow, birch, and maple.

During the winter, they spend a lot of their time inside the lodge, eating branches they have stored for their food supply. Access to cold water acts as a refrigerator to help preserve and keep the food fresh. Otherwise, beavers remain active throughout the cold season.

Socialization Beavers have strong family units, mating for life, provided their mate doesn’t die.

Beavers are incredibly social animals, with each family consisting of one breeding pair, the year’s kits (babies), and the offspring from the previous year. In the winter, the family lives together in the lodge, and all share the food supply. The hierarchy is based on the adults dominating the yearlings, while the yearlings dominate the kits, making for a stable family structure. Violence among beaver families is very rare, while vocalizations, gestures, and postures are instead used to communicate issues of dominance.

Lifespan Beavers tend to breed between January and February, with females giving birth in the spring. They have a gestation period of three and half months and give birth up to two to four young. Typically, beavers live up to 12 years in the wild.