American Beaver

The North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) is often referred to as "American Beaver" or simply "Beaver". The North American Beaver is native to North America. Beavers are active mainly at night. They are excellent swimmers and may remain submerged for up to 15 minutes. More vulnerable on land, they tend to remain in the water as much as possible. They use their flat, scaly tail both to signal danger by slapping the surface of the water and as a location for fat storage. They construct their homes, or "lodges," out of sticks, twigs, rocks and mud in lakes, streams, and tidal river deltas. These lodges may be surrounded by water, or touching land, including burrows dug into river banks. Beavers are well known for building dams across streams and constructing their lodge in the artificial pond which forms.