Beaver

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Castor canadensis 

The Canadian beaver was the country’s first natural resource to be exploited by Europeans. At one time, beaver pelts were the unit of currency in the new land. The beaver population was almost wiped out by 1930, but conservation measures have since restored their numbers to relatively healthy levels.  Beavers have a well-developed social hierarchy in which the family is the basic unit, and the female the central figure in each family. The usual family group consists of the adults, the kits, and the yearlings of the previous year. The average size of the family is about 10 or 12 individuals. Adult weight varies between 15 and 35 kg with the average being about 20 kg.  The bear, wolf, coyote, fisher, wolverine, otter, and lynx prey upon the beaver who is, nevertheless, a powerful antagonist when at bay. Their lodges, made of tangled sticks and caked mud, offer protection that even black bears have difficulty in breaking through.  Beaver dams are usually about 50 m in length, 2 m high, and about 3 m through the base. Their dams help to maintain water levels in forest streams, thus providing habitat for themselves, fish, and waterfowl. 

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