Beaver's are the second largest rodent in North America. They live in family groups of up to 8, called colonies. They are mostly peaceful animals but they are territorial. And no wonder! It takes a lot of work to build their homes.

Beavers were once hunted almost to extinction for their fur, meat and oil. Beaver hats were popular and their oil was used in perfume and medicine. Today, beavers are not in danger. There are somewhere between 6 and 12 million of them! Predators include humans, wolves and coyotes.

Because beavers build dams, they can change the land a great deal. They can flood large areas and make new places for plants and animals to live in. They bring wood into the water, which is food for other animals and insects. The insects become food for more animals. So beavers are important for keeping the forests healthy!

territorial - don't like others on their land

extinction - when there are no more of the animal

rodent - animals such as hamsters or rats that bite things

flood - fill with water

Beavers live up to 24 years.

They are 23-39 inches tall and weigh about 60lbs.

Beavers' bodies are made for life in the water.  They can swim underwater for up to 15 minutes. They can close their ears and nose to keep water out and they can see well underwater too. And they have thick fur, webbed feet and large flat tails that help them swim.  

Their tails can be used to slap the water and frighten predators away. Also, beavers have a special oil called castoreum that comes out from a gland near the tail. They use it to mark their territory.

They have powerful jaws and long orange teeth that they use to cut down trees. They use the trees to build homes, called lodges which are made from sticks, grass, moss and mud. They can be up to 8 x 3 feet (2.4 x 1 metres) inside. To build these homes, beavers must gnaw a lot of wood. This wears down their teeth. So their teeth keep growing and growing! Because of the constant gnawing, their teeth stay about about 22-25mm long. 

Beavers spend most of their time eating or building their dams. They are mostly nocturnal, meaning they come out at night.

predators - animals that hunt and eat them

territory - area, land

gnaw - chew, bite

wear down - makes shorter

Beavers eat trees! They eat the wood, leaves, bark and roots. They also eat aquatic plants.

They can travel a long way to find food. They get it back home by floating it on the water. They keep logs and twigs underwater for the winter.

aquatic - living in water

Beavers are monogomous. This means that the mother and father stay together for life. Beaver babies are called kits. Beaver mums have 1-6 babies at a time. The kits are very small, about  8.1-22 ounces (230-630 grams) but they can swim 24 hours after birth! They drink their mother's milk for around 2 weeks.

Both mother and father beavers help care for the young. Kits stay with their parents for around 2 years until they leave home to make a lodge of their own.