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                            Beavers      

               Appearance

       Beavers are one of the largest rodents on earth. Probally the second largest rodent. Their Latin name is Castor Canadensis. They can live up to 16 years. Beavers weight up to 110 pounds, but usually weight about 45 to 60 lbs. They fur color ranges between a light pale color and black. They are herbivores and usually eat leaves, barks, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants. Mostly the leaves and barks of aspen, willow, and cotton trees. When there is danger near by, they slap their tails on the water which makes an echo throughout the pond.                                                                                                                    

            Behaviors

           Beavers waddle on land uncertainly, but swims in the water gracefully using their large webbed rear feet like swimming fins and paddle-shaped tail like rudders. If their tail turns left, then they turn right.Their features allow them to swim 5 miles per hour. They can remain under water for 10-15 minutes without coming up to the surface for air because they have huge lungs. Humans would die if they stayed underwater for 2 minute since we could only stay underwater for 2 minutes. Beavers have noses and ears that close when under water. Their eyes are like goggles, but with a set of transparent eyelids. Their fur is naturally oily and waterproof so they don't have to clean themselves. They keep themselves active all winter, swimming and foraging in the pond even though there's a thin layer of ice on the lake.

               Habitat/Range

                 Beavers are found in Canada, Europe, Asia, and the northern United States. Beavers are always busy with making their lodge and repairing them. They burrow in the banks of rivers and lakes if it's possible. But they also build dams in less suitable habitat. They use their sharp claws to grab hold of branches and logs and gnaw on them to use them for their dam. They pack their lodge with mud so it doesn't break on the outside. But the inside is dry and comfortable since it's where they store food for the future, sleep, and where the female gives birth. They stop the current of the stream with their dams. It floods the fields or forest into large ponds which they love. When the water rises, it makes the beaver's home protective since the dam is in the middle of the pond. But the otter could come in and attack them. Beavers use any fallen wood for their home.

                  Youngs

             Mated beavers usually gives birth in a single litter of 1-9 (usually 3 or 4) each year. The female beavers usually deliver 3-4 kits in the spring. They live in family groups and mate for life. Both of the parent beavers and the year-old siblings care for the newborns. The babies usually weight between 8 to 24 oz. They are 13 inches long and have tails that are 9 inches long. They open their eye at birth and learn to swim when their 1 month old. Beavers mature when they are 2-3 years. The baby beavers are so light that they don't dive until they gain a few pounds. They have to wait 3 and a half month before swimming. When the female gives birth to the second litter, the first litter moves out of the lodge and goes to find their own places.                                                                                                      

                                                                         Types

               There are many kinds of beavers. The one listed below are the kind there are:                          

                                                                                                -Scandinavian

                                                                                                                        -Elbe                                             

                                                    -Rhone

                                                    -Polish

                                                    -Ural

                                                    -Mongolian

                                                    -Canadian

                                                    -Michigan

                                                    -Newfoundland

                                                    -Rio Grande

                                                    -golden-bellied 

                              Enemies

                  Did you know that humans are the main enemies for beavers? It's because the hunters come and hunt them. In the north part of the world, the wolves are the main predators for the beaver. When the beaver is on land looking for food, it can be attacked by larger animals such as bobcats, lynx, mountain lions, bears, and sometimes stray dogs.Beavers are hard to kill since they can just plunge into one of their holes. A beaver sometimes bite its enemy with their front sharp teeth and drag them into the water to drown.

                         Communication 

          A beaver will sometime communicate with other beavers by building a little hill, called a scent post. It's made of mud and grass. The scent post is 8-10 inches high and 10-12 inches around. The scent post will take them a while to build. They mark their scent on it with their castor musk smelling oil gland. The scent post will sometimes find them a mate. 

 I got the information above from:  http://www.apnm.org/campaigns/beavers/General_info.php                                       

                                                               http://library.thinkquest.org/3882/beavers.html              

                                                               http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/beaver.html

I got this video on youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTTS0yW9IQY

 I got this video on youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clpgffj3sUw             

                                                                                      Did you know that:

                                   - young beavers drinks milk that's buttery, yellow, and as thick as toothpaste?

                             - beavers can sit on their rear legs and eat corn-on-the-cob?

                             - beavers have 20 sharp teeth and their front ones are strong and curved?

                  --->    - beavers flap their tail when their scared?

                   ^       - baby beavers weigh a little more than an orange basketball?

                  /         - the word "beaver" means "gnaw or chew"?

                /            

I got this information here --> http://library.thinkquest.org/3882/beavers.html