29 July 2014
American Beaver
Castor canadensis
Bangor, Maine
On Bangor Land Trust's Beavers: Ecosystems Engineers outing that was held last Tuesday, the group observed this beaver observing them. It swam back and forth ever nearer and then farther away. The group waited for an official "stay-away-from-here" tail slap, but evidently they were respectful and quiet enough to suit the beaver. This one must have felt comfortable in the water. Beaver move much better in water than they do on land. Their legs are short and they have webbed feet. They build their lodges with underwater entrances for ease of travel and to keep predators out. The dams that they build are necessary to keep the water level high enough to hide the lodge entrance. Their coats are a rich, dark brown and they have a paddle-shaped black tail. They eat bark and twigs, preferably from broad-leafed trees. Beavers are nocturnal animals, so the group was very fortunate to see this one.
For more information about beaver and the habitat they create, go to the Bangor Land Trust Links & Resources page to view or download an informative beaver brochure.
Photo by Donne Sinderson
American Beaver
Castor canadensis
Bangor, Maine
On Bangor Land Trust's Beavers: Ecosystems Engineers outing that was held last Tuesday, the group observed this beaver observing them. It swam back and forth ever nearer and then farther away. The group waited for an official "stay-away-from-here" tail slap, but evidently they were respectful and quiet enough to suit the beaver. This one must have felt comfortable in the water. Beaver move much better in water than they do on land. Their legs are short and they have webbed feet. They build their lodges with underwater entrances for ease of travel and to keep predators out. The dams that they build are necessary to keep the water level high enough to hide the lodge entrance. Their coats are a rich, dark brown and they have a paddle-shaped black tail. They eat bark and twigs, preferably from broad-leafed trees. Beavers are nocturnal animals, so the group was very fortunate to see this one.
For more information about beaver and the habitat they create, go to the Bangor Land Trust Links & Resources page to view or download an informative beaver brochure.
Photo by Donne Sinderson
