Beaver

British Columbia Wildlife Beaver

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Beaver (Castor canadensis)

The beaver is found throughout British Columbia. A talented architect, the beaver builds and customizes each home on lakes, rivers and streams near their main food source of aspen, willow, white birch or popular trees. They use all types of materials in the construction of the beaver dam from trees to mud.

If a pond is not available the beaver will build a dam using again mud and twigs from the other side of the stream creating a self enclosed pond. The beaver dam is usually nine feet high and twenty feet in width. Inside the lodge ( beaver dam) the beaver cuts an inner chamber up through the centre of the home so to be above the water line.

The beaver mostly works at night and sleeps during the day. When beavers sense approaching danger they will slap their tails on the water sending out a warning signal and all will disappear under the water and scurry into the lodge or dam.