We all know beavers with their big teeth, small ears, and chippy eyes that carry wood nonstop from right to left and feed on small bites from the wood they carry. Beavers, which often have funny roles even in animations due to their cute appearance, are a common species in North America, but there are also species living in Asia and around the Danube, but the number here is quite small.
North American beavers are in good spirits. They continue to live in many nature reserves. The survival of beavers is extremely important not only for themselves, but also for the natural cycle. Many aquatic creatures continue to live in the natural dams they have built as their homes. Let’s take a closer look at some interesting little-known facts about beavers and get to know these cute creatures a little better.
Interesting information about beavers:
Beavers’ teeth are orange:
When you say orange, don’t think of such a bright color, you can think of an intense orange like the kind we see in local rocks. This is because beaver teeth are covered with an iron-rich mineral. The teeth of the beavers, which grow throughout their lives, are filed as they use it and the desired color comes. Some teeth wear disproportionately, but this disproportionate wear allows them to shatter much sharper objects.
Beaver dams are much bigger than you might think:
Beavers build dams by blocking river beds with wood and large stones to make homes for them. The stagnant flowing lakes formed behind these dams are home to many creatures, including beavers. The dams we’re talking about and the lakes they create may be much bigger than you think.
Detected in a satellite image analyzed in 2007, the beaver dam has a length of exactly 850 meters. Spotted in the wilderness of Alberta’s northern region, this structure is considered the largest beaver dam in the world. According to experts, beavers have been working on the same dam since the 1970s. In other words, we can say that this structure is the legacy of a family.
To give a little more information about the habitats of beavers, they do not only build dams, they also build dome-like houses. These island-shaped structures are entered under the water and have an air hole on them. When these structures were examined, it was seen that the walls were covered with stones to absorb moisture and provide a comfortable environment. It’s an engineering marvel.
In times of danger, they flick their tails against the water:
Every creature has different methods to warn its friends in case of danger, and beavers’ ones are quite interesting. Beavers, which have very wide tails compared to their bodies, make a loud noise by hitting these tails against the water in case of danger and warn other beavers around. Since most of their lives are spent in water, they have learned to make a very loud sound on the surface of the water.
Beaver tails have many different uses. For example, beavers, which are quite adept underwater, use their tails as a rudder and swim both quickly and in control. The beaver, which comes out of the water and stands on a dry land, stands upright by taking support from its tail. Beaver tails also help them balance when carrying heavy items.
Beavers do indeed eat wood:
In general cartoons and animations, beavers are portrayed as wood-eating creatures with a bit of caricature. This is somewhat true. They eat the soft bark and soft structure underneath, if not all of the wood. Herbivorous beavers love aquatic plants and species of poplar, aspen, willow, birch and maple. During the long winter months, they hide from these branches to the bottom of the lake. These branches stay fresh for a long time due to the cold water effect.
North America’s largest rodent, beavers, formerly thought to be even larger:
North American beaver species weigh between 14 and 26 kilograms While they vary, they can exceed 1 meter in length. Considering that these creatures are rodents, it is an indisputable fact that they are one of the largest rodents. Beavers living in Asia and Europe are slightly smaller.
If you think that beavers living today are big, you will be shocked to hear about creatures called Castoroides, who lived during the Ice Age and are the ancestors of today’s beavers. The length of these creatures was about 2.5 meters, and their weight was over 80 kilograms. Like modern beavers, they spent most of their time in the water.
Beavers are almost like fish underwater:
It should come as no surprise to anyone that beavers, who spend most of their lives in and under water, are good swimmers. Surprisingly, these mammals should be able to stay underwater for close to 10 minutes without breathing. With the help of their large tails, they can swim at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour. They are not that agile creatures on land.
Beavers smell like vanilla:
Beavers smell like vanilla, effortlessly. Just like civets and musk deer, beavers secrete a vanilla-scented liquid from a sac under their tails. This liquid, which is a chemical compound, has the consistency of molasses. FDA-approved, it is used to impart vanilla flavor.
They are quite romantic creatures:
Of course, we are talking about a natural romance, so beavers are monogamous. After the male and female find each other, they stay together for life, reproduce and spend their lives together. All those dams, lakes and houses are either built by our young couple as a new home or started by a young male who wants to find a mate. Afterwards, the offspring of the couple also participate in the work and the dam grows.
It was once thought that there were no beavers in England:
Beavers, a common species in North America, are also found in Europe and Asia, but in large numbers little. In fact, until recently it was thought that there were no beavers left in England. Since the last record of beaver sightings in the country is dated 1789, it is normal to think that beavers are completely extinct in England.
Beavers, missing for several centuries, suddenly reappeared in a river in Devon in 2010, as a large population. In 2020, a special law was passed to protect beavers. The reason for the extinction of the beavers was not a natural process. Because of their thick and beautiful fur and the use of their glands for medicinal purposes, beavers became extinct because of hunting. Fortunately, they are now protected.
We tried to get to know these furry creatures a little more closely by talking about some little-known information about beavers, who won the hearts of all of us with their big teeth, cute faces and hardworking attitudes. You can share your thoughts in the comments.
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