Wild Life / beaver
back to work bebes
Hello, friends — It’s September 1! Say “rabbit, rabbit” and get the good luck. I hope you had some gentle late-summer days, a little respite from the fray. September is like the beginning of a new year, and we’re all back to it. And so, let the beaver be our guide as we gather twigs and branches. With small steps we can change the world around us. — Amy Jean
Once upon a time, Linda Nochlin bought a beaver drawing of mine and made my life. This is my best beaver story, as I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a beaver (Castor canadensis) in real life. I’ve only seen evidence of their prodigious work: the chewed bark and knitted branches around river beds and small ponds. Beavers are incredible architects and engineers, fashioning their homes as small stick islands with underwater entrances. They are smart and social and stick together as family groups.
Beavers are all water and wood. They are the second-largest rodent in North America, and their front teeth grow throughout their lives. They actually do eat tree bark (willow, aspen, dogwood, oak) and other fibrous roots, leaves, herbs, grasses. Microorganisms in their extensive digestive system help process all this cellulose, and chewing bark helps keep their on-growing teeth manageable. They are efficient tree fellers, taking down a six-inch-round tree in about an hour.
Beavers are semi-aquatic and have webbed back feet and a great flap of a tail (which also gives them some ballast while chewing trees). Their front paws are dexterous to grasp things easily. They can stay underwater for fifteen minutes if they have to. Their nostrils and eyes are at the top of their heads so they can stick them out of the water while staying comfortably below. Their fur is thick and warm.
North America was a land of beavers until the fur trade in the 18th century nearly decimated them. They’ve rebounded, and are increasingly understood as a keystone species whose engineering of waterways benefits multitudes of animal and plant species. Their efforts make the land more livable. Their work benefits the creatures around them.
Back to good work, good beavers, and we’ll do our best to follow suit.
North American beaver links—
I saw this video in the spring and have been thinking about it ever since: a rescue beaver makes a “dam” of stuffed animals, a small Christmas tree, and one flipflop, in a hallway with wooden floors. It’s fun to watch and instructive and also a little sad. [via YouTube]
3-min. time lapse of a beaver building a dam! [via YouTube]
“Autumn is the busiest time of year for beavers.” The underwater shots in this BBC short are fantastic. [via YouTube]
Animal encounters in recent comments—
August was quiet, and we’re still waiting for the turtle hatchlings—I do hope they make it! Please send along your animal encounters of late summer.
Also—
My busy beaver drawing is for sale. Some of the proceeds will go to the Beaver Institute.
Wild Life #54 / this monthly newsletter is a place to learn about the life around us, one industrious beaver at a time. I do this because I’m not sure what to do about the millions of species in danger of extinction. It means something to see and enjoy the life around us. Thanks for being there and sharing with family and friends.