Wild Facts You Never Knew About Beavers | Summary and Q&A
TL;DR
Beavers are incredible animals that can transform their environments by building dams, creating habitats and protecting their dens.
Key Insights
- đ˛ Beavers are capable of transforming their habitats by building dams and creating new wetland ecosystems.
- đ˛ The sound of running water triggers dam-building behavior in beavers.
- đ Beavers' teeth continue to grow throughout their lives, but they prevent them from growing too long by gnawing on trees.
- đĻˇ Beavers' famous front teeth are orange due to the iron content in their tooth enamel.
- đĩī¸ââī¸ Both male and female beavers have anal scent glands that produce a sweet-smelling oil called castoreum, which has been used for flavoring and medicinal purposes.
- đĻĢ Beavers' excessive consumption of willow tree bark results in their castoreum containing salicylic acid, a precursor to aspirin.
- đ˛ Beavers' dams provide a sanctuary for various plants and wildlife.
Transcript
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Questions & Answers
Q: Why do beavers build dams?
Beavers build dams primarily for defense, creating a deep water habitat that protects their dens from predators like wolves.
Q: How big can beaver dams get?
Beaver dams can reach impressive sizes, with the biggest known dam in Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park measuring over 850 meters long.
Q: What do beavers eat?
Beavers prefer to eat non-woody plants like water lilies and cattails in the spring, but during winter they strip bark from trees and consume the layer of soft tissue underneath.
Q: Why do beavers have orange teeth?
Beavers' front teeth are orange because their tooth enamel contains iron, making them strong and sharp for gnawing through trees and building dams.
Summary & Key Takeaways
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Beavers are one of the largest rodents in the world and have the ability to completely transform the environments they live in.
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They build dams, some of which have turned into massive wetlands that can even be seen from space.
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Beavers create dams primarily for defense, as it allows them to protect their dens from predators while creating a habitat for aquatic plants and other wildlife.
