North American Beaver

Description:

Large fur bearing mammal that chews on and falls trees in much of North America. Beaver pelts were a valuable trapping and trading commodity in the settlement and exploration of Canada. The front teeth of a beaver will grow too long if the beaver does not chew on a regular basis.

Habitat:

Loves wet woodlands with streams, ponds, mixed forest. Builds lodges and dams to re-create its habitat to its own liking. Lodges are accessed through an underwater door/tunnel and the inside "rooms" are elevated above water level. So even though beavers are amazing swimmers, their home needs to be above water. They will smack their large flat tail on the surface of the water to warn companions of possible danger. There are a lot of beaver dams and lodges in the Pacific Northwest, especially near where I live.

Notes:

Although I found this skull in a different location than this beaver work on the cottonwood tree, I wanted to link the two spottings: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/174...