Eurasian beavers once lived all over Europe and Asia. Now, they only live in small numbers throughout southern Scandinavia, Germany, France, Poland, and central Russia due to overhunting. Lodges are little dome-shaped houses made from woven sticks, grasses and moss plastered with mud.
They that can be up to 8 feet 2. Lodges are built on the banks of ponds, on islands or on lake shores, just barely above water level. Many lodges have an underwater backdoor for instant swimming access.
Beavers are primarily nocturnal. They spend most of their time eating and building. Beaver create dams to make ponds, their favorite place to live. Dams are created by weaving branches together, felling trees by cutting them down with their teeth, and waterproofing the construction with mud.
Dams can be several meters in length and up to 6. Beavers also dig canals to bring water from large bodies of water to their feeding area. Beavers have a tremendous impact on ecosystems. Dams alter the flow of rivers and can flood hundreds of acres. Dams prevent erosion and raise the water table, which helps purify the water as silt builds up and breaks down toxins, according to ADW. As sediment and debris build up, carbon increases and nitrogen decreases.
They are powerful swimmers but vulnerable to attack when on land searching for food. To help them hide from predators such as bears, wolves and coyotes, beavers tend to do most of their business at night. Although you might see one occasionally during the day, a beaver usually stays in his den until the sun begins to set.
Beavers sometimes come out during the day, but they tend to prefer the cover of night for their building escapades. The gather mud, sticks, branches and sections of tree trunks to create elaborate dams. These dams across rivers and streams cause the waterways to back up behind the dam. In the ponds created by the dams, the beavers build cone-shaped lodges that sit mostly underwater and include caverns and bolt holes -- both above and below the water line -- so they have a warm and dry place to live.
Some beavers build bank dens instead, which are often burrows dug into riverbanks, reinforced with mud and sticks. They fell trees by gnawing through their trunks, then use the branches to dam streams. The dams create a pond, in the middle of which the beaver family constructs an island made of more branches.
The island, or beaver lodge, is a perfect home where the beavers are safe from predators. The top of a beaver dam is made of branches and small tree trunks. Just like how a rabbit thumps against the ground to warn its burrow, a beaver will slap the water with its tail to alert others before diving under. Any family member to hear the splash will likely return to the water too. And be patient — it really will be worth it!
Glad you asked. Over time, beavers have evolved to have a handy comb on their back foot. On their right side, one of their claws has a cleft or split in the middle, which comes especially useful when grooming.
Just remember: although it works for beavers, we absolutely cannot recommend growing your nails in the same way. Just think of what your mum would say about it.
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