Beavers - Facts for Kids

Basic Information

Beavers belong to the family Castoridae (a group of animals that are related) and are the second-largest rodents (gnawing animals) in the world, after capybaras!

A group of beavers living together is called a colony, and they work together to build and maintain (take care of) their home!

There are only two living species (types) of beaver in the world today: the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) and the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber)!

Beavers can live up to 25 years in captivity (when people take care of them), but typically (usually) live 10–15 years in the wild!

An adult beaver can weigh between 40 and 70 pounds (17-32 kilograms), about the same as a medium-sized dog!

Male beavers are called boars, females are called sows, and baby beavers are called kits or pups!

Beavers are herbivores (plant eaters), which means they only eat plants, including tree bark, water plants, and various kinds of green things!

A beaver’s front teeth never stop growing throughout its entire life, which helps them constantly chew through wood!

Beavers can hold their breath underwater for up to 15 minutes!

The average beaver is about 3 feet (1 meter) long, not including their famous flat tail!

Physical Characteristics

A beaver’s tail can be up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) long and 6 inches (15 centimeters) wide!

Beavers have special see-through eyelids that work like swimming goggles, allowing them to see clearly underwater!

A beaver’s ears and nose have special valves (little doors) that close automatically (by themselves) when they go underwater!

Beavers have large, orange-colored front teeth because they contain iron (a strong metal), which makes them extra strong for cutting through wood!

A beaver’s fur has about 100,000 hairs per square inch, making it one of the thickest fur coats in the animal kingdom!

Beavers have special split toes on their back feet that they use like combs to keep their fur waterproof!

A beaver’s tail acts like a rudder (steering tool) when swimming, helping them steer through the water!

Beavers have built-in lips that close behind their front teeth, allowing them to carry sticks in their mouth while swimming underwater!

A beaver’s back feet are webbed like a duck’s feet, helping them swim up to 5 miles per hour (8 km/h)!

Beavers have special scent glands (body parts that make smells) that produce a substance called castoreum, which they use to mark their territory (their home area)!

Behavior & Intelligence

Beavers are one of the few animals besides humans that can change their environment (the world around them) to suit their needs by building dams!

Beaver families work together and take turns watching for danger while others eat or work on their lodge (home)!

Beavers communicate (talk to each other about) danger by slapping their tails on the water’s surface, creating a loud “crack” sound that can be heard far away!

Young beavers stay with their parents for two years to learn important survival skills like dam building and food gathering!

Beavers are nocturnal (active at night), which means they are most active at night!

Beavers can remember where they stored their food underwater even when the pond is frozen over!

A beaver colony works together to stockpile (save up) enough food for the entire winter, storing it underwater near their lodge!

Beavers build underwater entrances (doorways) to their homes to protect themselves from predators (animals that hunt them)!

Beavers use different types of branches for different parts of their dams, showing they understand engineering principles (building rules)!

Beavers maintain (take care of) their dams daily, quickly repairing any damage to keep their pond at the right level!

Habitat & Survival

Beaver dams can be up to 1,500 feet (460 meters) long — that’s longer than four football fields!

The ponds created by beaver dams provide homes for many other animals, including fish, frogs, and water birds!

Beaver lodges can be as big as a small bedroom, with rooms for sleeping, eating, and caring for babies!

Beavers build channels (waterways like canals) in the water around their lodge to help them move heavy logs more easily!

The largest beaver dam ever discovered was 2,790 feet long (850 meters) and could be seen from space!

Beaver ponds help prevent droughts (times when there’s no rain) by storing water and releasing it slowly into streams!

Beavers can create wetland habitats (homes for water animals) that filter pollutants (dirty things) from water, making it cleaner for other animals!

A single beaver family can store up to two tons of branches underwater for winter food!

Beaver lodges have special ventilation (air) holes that provide fresh air while staying hidden from predators!

Beavers choose locations (places) for their dams by listening to the sound of running water!

Life Cycle

Baby beavers can swim within 24 hours of being born!

Beaver kits are born with their eyes open and a full coat of fur!

Mother beavers usually give birth to 2–4 kits each spring!

Baby beavers start eating solid food when they’re just two weeks old!

After their first year, young beavers help take care of their younger brothers and sisters!

Beaver parents mate for life and stay together to raise their family!

A beaver kit weighs about 1 pound (450 grams) when it’s born, about the same as a standard water bottle!

Baby beavers learn to slap their tails as a warning signal when they’re just a few months old!

Young beavers start practicing dam-building at about 3–4 months old, making tiny stick-and-mud walls. By one year old, they start helping with dam construction (building)!

Beaver kits stay inside the lodge for the first month of their life!