An animal of North American rivers and lakes. It builds dams and lodges from branches and mud, changing its waterside habitat.
It has a broad, flat tail and orange front teeth for cutting wood. The teeth keep growing throughout life.
American beavers may dam streams with branches and mud. Their incisors keep growing, and a tail slap can signal danger. Not every individual belongs to a family group: Canadian research compared the ranges of family members with those of animals living outside such groups.
In southeastern Manitoba, Canada, researchers compared beavers using lodges with a breeding pair and kits against non-family animals. In summer, home ranges averaged 7.74 hectares for 25 family beavers and 17.56 hectares for nine non-family beavers. In autumn, the comparison of 23 family and four non-family animals found no clear difference in home-range size.
A broad tail slaps the water to signal approaching danger. Gnawing incisors and a signalling tail have different roles in this waterside life.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Heavy trapping historically depleted beavers in many areas. Habitat loss and pollution have affected them, while reintroductions have helped return them to former habitats.