The Canadian beaver is a semi-aquatic mammal belonging to the order of rodents. They are the second largest rodents. In addition, the Canadian beaver is the unofficial symbol of Canada.
Types of beavers
To date, there are two types of them: Canadian beaver, river beaver (European). They are very similar to each other, except that the first one is slightly larger. They once spread throughout Europe, North America and Asia, but today the population has declined significantly. This is the fault of the man who hunted these animals for their fur and meat.
Differences between Canadian and common beavers
Both representatives of the species are very similar in appearance, although the Eurasian one is large. It has a larger and less round head, while the muzzle is shorter. Also, the tail is narrower, and the undercoat is smaller. In addition, the Eurasian has shorter limbs, therefore, it does not move well on its hind legs.
Almost 70% of regular beavers have brown or light brown fur, 20% are chestnut, 8% are dark brown, and only 4% are black. Half of Canadian beavers have a light brown skin tone,25% is brown and 5% is black.
The common beaver has much longer nasal bones and triangular nostrils, while the Canadian beaver has triangular openings. The European anal glands are larger. In addition, there are differences in the color of the fur.
After repeated attempts to cross an American male and a Eurasian female, the females either did not become pregnant at all, or gave birth to dead cubs. Most likely, interspecific reproduction is impossible. There is not only a territorial barrier between these populations, but also a difference in DNA.
In addition to external differences, these two representatives of this family have differences in the number of chromosomes. So, Canadian beavers have forty chromosomes, the usual ones have 48. A different number of chromosomes is the reason for the unsuccessful crossing of these representatives of different continents.
Another beaver difference can be considered a disaster: the Canadian beaver does not build dams, it creates huge dams compared to the buildings of its brother from Europe. Such structures can stretch for several hundred meters in length. Since today the Canadian beaver in Russia actively populates the regions, their facilities are radically changing the environment. As a result, dams in the surrounding area cause floods, and interestingly: the less rugged the area they inhabit, the greater their zone of influence! They change the fullness of rivers with all the ensuing environmental problems. In addition, Canadian vandals "mow down" nearby forests, namely theyform coastlines and are generally the most important environmental factor. In addition, beavers from the nearest state farms and farms steal crops, and also rampage there in every possible way.
Distribution
Canadian beaver is found in Alaska (in North America), except for the northern, northeastern and eastern coasts; In Canada; in the USA almost everywhere, in addition to Florida, the main part of Nevada and California; in northern Mexico. It was also introduced to the Scandinavian countries. From Finland penetrated into the Leningrad region and Karelia. It was introduced on Sakhalin and Kamchatka, as well as in the Amur basin.
Lifestyle
His lifestyle is similar to that of a Eurasian. The Canadian beaver is also active at night, only sometimes appears during the daytime and sometimes moves far from the water. Animals dive and swim remarkably and can stay under water for up to fifteen minutes. Beavers live in families of up to eight individuals - a parental couple and her children. Juveniles stay with their parents for up to two years. Families are always territorial and protect their plots from other animals.
The boundaries of the plot are marked with a beaver jet (secret of the anal glands), which is applied to the mounds of silt and mud. In case of danger, animals beat the water with their tail, thus giving an alarm signal. Like the Eurasians, they live in huts, which they build from brushwood smeared with earth and silt. From the huts there are passages under the water; in them the floor is covered with bark, wood shavings and grass. The Canadian beaver settles in holes much less frequently than its Eurasian counterpart. For regulationspeed of flow and water level, he builds dams on rivers from branches, logs, silt, stones, clay. Canadians have excellent building skills.
Reproduction
Usually, beavers live in families consisting of a female and a male, as well as young animals of the previous and current year. The breeding season in most places is January-February. The offspring of the previous year, who are about two years old at this time, are expelled from the colony to seek shelter elsewhere, as well as their mate.
The gestation period is 107 days, and the male with children temporarily moves to a special hole until the birth of offspring in the period from April to June. The act of birth takes several days, mostly up to 5 cubs are born. The babies are completely pubescent, they have visible incisors, their eyes are open. As soon as they are born, beavers enter the water quite calmly, since they can swim from the moment of their appearance. The majority of adults are monogamous, a couple can only break up with the death of a partner.
Food
Canadian, or North American, beaver eats exclusively plant foods. These animals feed on shoots and bark of trees, choose willow, aspen, birch and poplar. In addition, they also eat all kinds of herbaceous plants (pod, water lily, cattail, iris, reed, etc., up to three hundred items in total). A huge number of softwood trees is a necessary condition for their habitat. Linden, hazel, bird cherry, elm and other trees in their diet havesecondary importance. They do not eat oak and alder, but they use it for their buildings. The daily amount of food is up to a fifth of the animal's weight. A powerful bite and large teeth enable beavers to easily cope with vegetable hard food.
In the summer season, the proportion of grassy foods in the diet of beavers increases. At the same time, in the fall they are engaged in preparing food for frost. They put their stocks in the water, where they are able to preserve their valuable nutritional qualities until February. In order to prevent food from freezing into the ice, beavers heat it under the overhanging steep banks below the water level. So even after the pond freezes, food remains available under thick ice.
Numbers
The Canadian beaver, unlike the Eurasian, which was almost completely exterminated, suffered much less. It does not belong to protected species; its number reaches 15 million individuals, but before the colonization of North America, there were dozens of times more. These animals were intensively hunted for meat and fur, and this, by the beginning of the nineteenth century, led to a rapid reduction in their range. Then, thanks to restoration and protection measures, their total number increased significantly.
Man and beaver
Today, the Canadian beaver is considered in some states as an exclusively harmful animal, since the dams built by these animals lead to flooding of the area. At the same time, their constructionactivity is capable of completely destroying vegetation along the coast. Although in general, beavers have a good effect on coastal and aquatic biotopes, while creating conditions for the prosperity of various organisms.
The beaver is the national animal of Canada. It is depicted on a coin with a face value of 5 cents. In addition, it is a symbol of the states of New York and Oregon, and is also depicted on the emblems of the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Fur coat: Canadian beaver
Such a fur coat has long been valued in Russia. It is exceptionally fluffy, soft and very warm fur. Having a unique undercoat, it is well suited to Russian climate conditions and is able to protect from any bad weather. Such a fur coat surpasses even mink in terms of wear quality (this is considered one of the main criteria in the hierarchy of valuable furs). In addition, the beaver is not afraid of moisture, and this is a rarity among furs. It also only gets fluffier under wet snow.
This fur is not the easiest to work with. Plucked fur is considered exclusive and, therefore, the most expensive. The plucking technology is a jeweler's labor-intensive process, which greatly increases the cost of a fur coat, while making it especially airy and light. Only whole skins of young animals are used in the work. For each product, the color scheme is selected individually. Sometimes it can take a whole year. Although the result is a real picture of a harmonious color scheme, shimmering with natural shades from light todark.
Interesting facts
- During bathing, the flat beaver tail serves as a real paddle for the animal.
- The beaver is considered the second largest (after the capybara) of rodents living today.
- In an emergency, he loudly slaps his tail on the water in order to warn his relatives.
- The animal has webbed feet, making it an excellent swimmer.
- A beaver can stay underwater for fifteen minutes.
