Beaver (Castor canadensis)

The beaver is nature’s great engineer.  The trees commonly used in building dams:  aspen, maple, birch, and willow are also their food. Their construction in rivers, creeks and ponds creates habitats and controls erosion.  At the turn of  the 19th century they were nearly trapped to extinction as their pelts built financial empires.  Today, they have rebounded in much of North America.

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Revised: November 2005