Beaver

Beavers build small mounds of mud at the water’s edge and deposit an oily, musk-smelling scent called castor to communicate with other beavers about territory and breeding dominance. 

Beavers are typically 25 to 90 pounds, but they can reach up to 110 pounds. They have a fairly square-shaped head which is visible when swimming. Most notable is their large, flat tail that they use to slap the water’s surface when alarmed.

Beavers live in and along lakes, streams, rivers, marshes and ponds. An abundant food supply near a softwood tree species, like willows and cottonwoods, is crucial for a beaver colony to sustain itself. Because beavers often build dams that pool water, they create ideal habitat for a variety of other wildlife — a great example of an ecosystem engineer, which creates habitats in areas where they otherwise would not exist.

Beaver mating occurs from January through March. Their gestation period is about 90 days, then their babies, called kits, are born from April through June. The average litter size is three to four kits, which are weaned at six to eight weeks of age. Young beavers stay with their parents through their second or even third winter, and they don’t reproduce until they are three years old. 

Beavers are strictly herbivores that consume the bark, buds, twigs and leaves of trees. Willow and cottonwood trees are their main food source, especially in winter. They eat corn and aquatic plants in the spring, summer and fall.