As the animal was trapped out in the east, trappers moved progressively westward, and settlers followed. They also both mark and defend the territory and build and repair the dam and lodge. The awkward case of 'his or her'. Beavers fell trees for several reasons. Beavers are slow on land, but are good swimmers, and can stay under water for as long as 15 minutes. They live in streams, rivers , marshes , ponds, and shorelines of large lakes and construct dams of branches, stones, and mud, forming ponds that often cover many hectares. City of Toronto. Words related to beaver doer , pistol , dynamo , hustler , workhorse , sharpy , self-starter , fireball , live wire , spark plug , ball of fire , hot shot , go-getter , aholic. Subscribe today.

Continue Reading. Please tell us where you read or heard it including the quote, if possible. They live in streams, rivers , marshes , ponds, and shorelines of large lakes and construct dams of branches, stones, and mud, forming ponds that often cover many hectares. CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown link wildlife. Jimmy Akin. Archived from the original on December 13, These dwellings are home to extended families of monogamous parents, young kits, and the yearlings born the previous spring. Adams March Lutra : 91— There are two species of beavers, which are found in the forests of North America, Europe, and Asia.

Beavers fell trees for several reasons. Sign up here to see what happened On This Day , every day in your inbox! The beavers cover their lodges late each autumn with fresh mud, which freezes when frosts arrive. In the 17th century, based on a question raised by the Bishop of Quebec , the Roman Catholic Church ruled that beavers are fish beaver flesh was a part of the Yuko [77] indigenous peoples' diet, prior to the Europeans' arrival [78] for purposes of dietary law. A territory-holding beaver will investigate and become familiar with the scents of its neighbors. Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved June 25, The foramen magnum is rounded in the Eurasian beaver and triangular in the North American.

They are herbivores and prefer to eat leaves, bark, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants. Words related to beaver doer , pistol , dynamo , hustler , workhorse , sharpy , self-starter , fireball , live wire , spark plug , ball of fire , hot shot , go-getter , aholic. Beaver pairs mate for life; however, if a beaver's mate dies, it will partner with another one. Archived from the original on April 14, Sure, Mitt Romney seems ripe for parody, what with his Leave It to Beaver vibe and eye-popping wealth. The anal glands of the Eurasian beaver are larger and thin-walled with a large internal volume compared to that of the North American species. They are now considered a serious invasive species in the region, due to their massive destruction of forest trees, and efforts are being made for their eradication. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Because of this, destroying a beaver dam without removing the beavers is difficult, especially if the dam is downstream of an active lodge. Retrieved February 1,

The term "beaver fever" is a misnomer coined by the American press in the s, following findings that the parasite Giardia lamblia , which causes Giardiasis , is carried by beavers. M eds. For the Eurasian beaver, see Eurasian beaver. Lewis ' The Chronicles of Narnia. North american Beaver. Article on the history of beavers in Britain. However, in the s, it was CB radio slang, neutral in connotation and even used by women themselves as a term of self-reference. Their characteristically dome-shaped island lodges are built of branches plastered with mud. Fur consists of a grayish to brown layer of short, fine, and dense underfur that keeps water from reaching the skin.

Both beaver testicles and castoreum , a bitter-tasting secretion with a slightly fetid odor contained in the castor sacs of male or female beaver, have been articles of trade for use in traditional medicine. Kids Definition of beaver. For other uses, see Beaver disambiguation. In marshes, lakes, and small rivers, beavers may instead construct bank lodges, and in large rivers and lakes they excavate bank dens with an underwater entrance beneath tree roots or overhanging ledges. But they also transform less suitable habitats by building dams. Dams also create additional wetland habitat for fish and waterfowl and contain or impede the downstream movement of oil spilled into rivers. It is sometimes added to frozen dairy, gelatins, candy, and fruit beverages. Like the beaver , the coypou is furnished with two kinds of fur; viz. Beavers fell trees for several reasons.

The animal has long been associated with Canada, appearing on the coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company in He threw his cigar-butt on the floor and stepped on it, and drummed on his beaver hat with nimble fingers. The lodge has underwater entrances, which makes entry nearly impossible for any other animal, although muskrats have been seen living inside beaver lodges with the beavers who made them. Beavers maintain and defend territories, which are areas for feeding, nesting and mating. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? Ask the Editors 'Intensive purposes': An Eggcorn We're intent on clearing it up 'Nip it in the butt': An Eggcorn We're gonna stop you right there Literally How to use a word that literally drives some pe Wallis and B. Fur Farming A. In , Kent Wildlife Trust successfully introduced a family of beavers at Ham Fen, the last remaining ancient fenland in the county close to the town of Sandwich ; these are now established and are breeding.

Retrieved September 23, Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies. Journal of Mammalogy. The English verb "to beaver" means to work hard and constantly. Revised and reprinted. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Skinner; John E. They are herbivores and prefer to eat leaves, bark, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants. Beavers use their teeth to gnaw at trees and once they fell the trees and shrubs they use the wood to build dams.

March 24, Retrieved January 20, Find One Here! For the Eurasian beaver, see Eurasian beaver. On land they walk or run with a waddling gait. Photographs by Joel Sartore. Weller June Get exclusive access to content from our First Edition with your subscription.

Beaver dam enlargement. They seldom begin to repair the lodges until the frost sets in, and rarely finish the outer coating until the cold becomes severe. The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber was hunted nearly to extinction in Europe, both for fur and for castoreum , a secretion from its scent gland believed to have medicinal properties. By the early 20th century this range had contracted, and at the beginning of the 21st century indigenous populations survived only in the Elbe and Rhône river drainages, southern Norway, France, Mongolia, China, and parts of Russia, especially northwestern Siberia and the Altai region. Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies. The anal glands of the Eurasian beaver are larger and thin-walled with a large internal volume compared to that of the North American species. Small front feet with five clawed digits dexterously manipulate food. Beavers have webbed hind-feet , and a broad, scaly tail. Article on the history of beavers in Britain. The anthropomorphic Mr.

Help Community portal Recent changes Upload file. In marshes, lakes, and small rivers, beavers may instead construct bank lodges, and in large rivers and lakes they excavate bank dens with an underwater entrance beneath tree roots or overhanging ledges. Main article: Beaver dam. Beaver lodges are constructed with the same materials as the dams, with little order or regularity of structure. Words related to beaver doer , pistol , dynamo , hustler , workhorse , sharpy , self-starter , fireball , live wire , spark plug , ball of fire , hot shot , go-getter , aholic. Both beaver testicles and castoreum , a bitter-tasting secretion with a slightly fetid odor contained in the castor sacs of male or female beaver, have been articles of trade for use in traditional medicine. Beaver furs were used to make clothing and top-hats. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. In Wilson, D.

Beaver pairs mate for life; however, if a beaver's mate dies, it will partner with another one. Beavers are slow on land, but are good swimmers, and can stay under water for as long as 15 minutes. Beavers make up the family Castoridae suborder Sciuromorpha, order Rodentia. Although superficially similar to each other, there are several important differences between the two species. Wallis and B. The Globe and Mail. In wider culture, the beaver is famed for its industriousness and its building skills. For the unrelated genus of mountain beaver, see Mountain beaver.

They are known for their alarm signal: when startled or frightened, a swimming beaver will rapidly dive while forcefully slapping the water with its broad tail, audible over great distances above and below water. They are often strategically located in the middle of ponds and can only be reached by underwater entrances. Dried beaver testicles were also used as contraception. Rogers Digital Media. In the course of his lonely wanderings the Beaver reached this pond, and here he established himself to spend his last few weeks. However, while copying behavior helps imprint life skills in young beavers, it is not necessarily immediately beneficial for parents as the young beaver do not perform the tasks as well as the parents. For the North American beaver, see North American beaver. When they erect a new lodge, they fell the wood early in summer but seldom begin building until nearly the end of August. The term "beaver fever" is a misnomer coined by the American press in the s, following findings that the parasite Giardia lamblia , which causes Giardiasis , is carried by beavers.

Beavers are colonial and primarily nocturnal. Retrieved October 6, Walker's Mammals of the World Fifth Edition, vol. Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time. Skinner; John E. Retrieved January 20, Retrieved January 18, A territory-holding beaver will investigate and become familiar with the scents of its neighbors.

They were then shipped back to Great Britain and France where they were made into clothing items. Beavers are monogamous, mating between January and March in the north and November or December in the south. The largest rodent that ever lived in North America was the amphibious giant beaver Castoroides of the Pleistocene Epoch. Morgan, Lewis Henry For example, beavers were trapped to near extirpation and had not been seen in New York City since the early s. Beavers are able to enlarge their dams quickly. Retrieved March 26, Archived from the original on July 18, The foramen magnum is rounded in the Eurasian beaver and triangular in the North American. A similar trend occurred in Eurasia, with only around individuals remaining at the turn of the 20th Century, but by , the population had resurged to about , individuals.

Archived from the original on July 18, Retrieved February 14, The two species are not genetically compatible. On land they walk or run with a waddling gait. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. First Known Use of beaver Noun 1 before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun 2 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb , in the meaning defined above. March 24, It is sometimes added to frozen dairy, gelatins, candy, and fruit beverages. San Francisco Chronicle. When sites are available, beavers burrow in the banks of rivers and lakes.

The North American and Eurasian beavers are the only extant members of the family Castoridae , contained within the genus , Castor. Archived from the original on December 13, Sure, Mitt Romney seems ripe for parody, what with his Leave It to Beaver vibe and eye-popping wealth. On land they walk or run with a waddling gait. When the ice breaks up in spring, beavers usually leave their lodges and roam until just before autumn, when they return to their old lodges and gather their winter stock of wood. Beavers have short legs and a stout body with a small, broad, and blunt head. Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice? Email address.

The fur-lined lips close behind the incisors, blocking water from the mouth and lungs and allowing the animal to cut, peel, and carry branches underwater. Waterborne giardiasis: sources of Giardia cysts and evidence pertaining to their implication in human infection in P. Nearly extirpated by through excessive trapping for their luxuriant coat, they have reclaimed, either by natural movement or human reintroduction, much of their former natural range, and regulated trapping continues, particularly in Canada. As the animal was trapped out in the east, trappers moved progressively westward, and settlers followed. The ponds created by well-maintained dams help isolate the beavers' homes, which are called lodges. When the ice breaks up in spring, beavers usually leave their lodges and roam until just before autumn, when they return to their old lodges and gather their winter stock of wood. Domelike beaver homes, called lodges, are also constructed of branches and mud. Broadleaved trees re-grow as a coppice , providing easy-to-reach stems and leaves for food in subsequent years.

They leave the lodge only to feed on branches cached beneath the ice. When the city council wanted to remove the beavers because of fears of flooding, local residents organized to protect them, forming an organization called "Worth a Dam". Animal Behaviour. History at your fingertips. Hammond ed. Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies. Retrieved December 4, Retrieved February 19, A territory-holding beaver will investigate and become familiar with the scents of its neighbors. When they erect a new lodge, they fell the wood early in summer but seldom begin building until nearly the end of August.

March 24, Save Word. Ortiz These large rodents move with an ungainly waddle on land but are graceful in the water, where they use their large, webbed rear feet like swimming fins, and their paddle-shaped tails like rudders. Beavers are monogamous, mating between January and March in the north and November or December in the south. In the s, beavers were brought from northern Manitoba in Canada to the island of Tierra Del Fuego in southern Chile and Argentina , for commercial fur production. The beavers cover their lodges late each autumn with fresh mud, which freezes when frosts arrive. These animals are active all winter, swimming and foraging in their ponds even when a layer of ice covers the surface. Retrieved December 5,

However, while copying behavior helps imprint life skills in young beavers, it is not necessarily immediately beneficial for parents as the young beaver do not perform the tasks as well as the parents. Beaver dam enlargement. For the quiz aficionado. Slow swimmers, beavers can remain submerged for up to 15 minutes and propel themselves primarily with the webbed hind feet while the front feet are held tight against the body. Journal of Range Management. In the 17th century, based on a question raised by the Bishop of Quebec , the Roman Catholic Church ruled that beavers are fish beaver flesh was a part of the Yuko [77] indigenous peoples' diet, prior to the Europeans' arrival [78] for purposes of dietary law. Ask the Editors 'Intensive purposes': An Eggcorn We're intent on clearing it up 'Nip it in the butt': An Eggcorn We're gonna stop you right there Literally How to use a word that literally drives some pe Beavers maintain and defend territories, which are areas for feeding, nesting and mating. Is Mitt Romney Beyond Satire?

North American beaver Castor canadensis. Each lodge is occupied by an extended family group of up to eight individuals: an adult pair, young of the year kits , and yearlings from the previous litter. Wikispecies has information related to Castor. Phrases Related to beaver beaver away beaver dam. Retrieved February 19, Weller June They are often strategically located in the middle of ponds and can only be reached by underwater entrances. Speck; Michael Smith; John C. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Views Read View source View history. Beavers are colonial and primarily nocturnal. Beaver ponds, and the wetlands that succeed them, remove sediments and pollutants from waterways, including total suspended solids, total nitrogen, phosphates, carbon and silicates. Felling and gnawing trees with their strong teeth and powerful jaws, they create massive log, branch, and mud structures to block streams and turn fields and forests into the large ponds that beavers love. Save Word. The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber was hunted nearly to extinction in Europe, both for fur and for castoreum , a secretion from its scent gland believed to have medicinal properties. Anderson; Andres Mansilla; Paul Szejner The Guardian. However, some beavers inhabit the intertidal zone in river estuaries, building dams to trap high tides in a beaver pond for similar purposes. Statistics for beaver Look-up Popularity.

Words related to beaver doer , pistol , dynamo , hustler , workhorse , sharpy , self-starter , fireball , live wire , spark plug , ball of fire , hot shot , go-getter , aholic. In April , an angler , near Minkovichi in the Brest region of Belarus , died after being bitten twice on the leg by a wild Eurasian beaver. Kids Definition of beaver. But they also transform less suitable habitats by building dams. Beavers often construct a dam a short distance downstream from the lodge to deter predators. Eurasian beavers have longer nasal bones than their North American cousins, with the widest point being at the end of the snout for the former, and in the middle for the latter. They are dependent on them for food and for learning life skills. Geophysical Research Letters. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Statistics for beaver Look-up Popularity. Forest Neighbors William Davenport Hulbert. To the beaver she said, "You cannot take the boy; you will drown him on the way to your lodge. Read Caption. British Wildlife. Castoreum was described in the British Pharmaceutical Codex for use in dysmenorrhea and hysterical conditions i. Beavers are classed as a "prohibited new organism" under New Zealand's Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act , preventing them from legally being imported into the country. December 24, Retrieved October 6,

Animal Behaviour. Cambridge University Press. The animal has long been associated with Canada, appearing on the coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company in Beaver dam enlargement. Unlike the American and Eurasian beavers genus Castor , the mountain beaver has an extremely short tail and is less than a half metre 1. Yupik medicine used dried beaver testicles like willow bark to relieve pain. Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way. The North American beaver Castor canadensis , also called the Canadian beaver which is also the name of a subspecies , American beaver, or simply beaver in North America, is native to Canada, much of the United States and the states of Sonora and Chihuahua in northern Mexico. Words related to beaver doer , pistol , dynamo , hustler , workhorse , sharpy , self-starter , fireball , live wire , spark plug , ball of fire , hot shot , go-getter , aholic.

Retrieved March 15, Forest Neighbors William Davenport Hulbert. Retrieved January 17, Beavers maintain and defend territories, which are areas for feeding, nesting and mating. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. For the Eurasian beaver, see Eurasian beaver. The North American beaver Castor canadensis , also called the Canadian beaver which is also the name of a subspecies , American beaver, or simply beaver in North America, is native to Canada, much of the United States and the states of Sonora and Chihuahua in northern Mexico. Although just two closely related species exist today, beavers have a long fossil history in the Northern Hemisphere beginning in the Eocene , and many species of giant beaver existed until quite recently, such as Trogontherium in Europe, and Castoroides in North America.

The distinctive tail is scaly, flat, and paddle-shaped and measures up to 45 cm about 18 inches long and 13 cm 5 inches wide. Current Archaeology. The first Redwall book features an unnamed beaver who helps Constance the badger build a bow, the only one ever seen before the books shifted to focus on animals commonly native to the British Isles. Beavers are among the largest of rodents. In marshes, lakes, and small rivers, beavers may instead construct bank lodges, and in large rivers and lakes they excavate bank dens with an underwater entrance beneath tree roots or overhanging ledges. Once a beaver has sounded the alarm, nearby beavers will dive and may not reemerge for some time. The actions of beavers for hundreds of thousands of years [27] in the Northern Hemisphere have kept these watery systems healthy and in good repair. They seldom begin to repair the lodges until the frost sets in, and rarely finish the outer coating until the cold becomes severe. Article Media.

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Login or Register. Retrieved March 5, Beaver geographical name. By the early 20th century this range had contracted, and at the beginning of the 21st century indigenous populations survived only in the Elbe and Rhône river drainages, southern Norway, France, Mongolia, China, and parts of Russia, especially northwestern Siberia and the Altai region. The " Lincoln Park beaver " has not been as well received by the Chicago Park District and the Lincoln Park Conservancy, which was concerned over damage to trees in the area. To avoid such situations, a beaver marks its territory with as many scent mounds as possible, signaling to intruders that the territory holder has enough energy to maintain its territory and is thus able to put up a good defense. One litter per year of one to nine usually four kits is born in the spring after a gestation of days. Adams March A beaver photographed in Lincoln, Nebraska.

However, the beaver is now being re-introduced throughout Europe. Comments on beaver What made you want to look up beaver? Archived from the original on September 26, On land they walk or run with a waddling gait. The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 13, BBC News. Submit Feedback. These animals are active all winter, swimming and foraging in their ponds even when a layer of ice covers the surface. Beavers often construct a dam a short distance downstream from the lodge to deter predators.

Others who have used the beaver in their company or organizational symbol or as their mascot include:. The beaver: natural history of a wetlands engineer. A territory-holding beaver will investigate and become familiar with the scents of its neighbors. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. First they place vertical poles, then fill between the poles with a crisscross of horizontally placed branches. Lee Rue, Leonard The beaver genus Castor is a large, primarily nocturnal , semiaquatic rodent. Further information: Fur trade.

In winter the moist walls freeze, adding insulation and making the lodge impenetrable to predators. Beaver geographical name. Article Media. The American beaver and His Works. BBC News. Journal of Range Management. Retrieved J Ethnopharmacol.

Wallem, Alejandro E. Felling and gnawing trees with their strong teeth and powerful jaws, they create massive log, branch, and mud structures to block streams and turn fields and forests into the large ponds that beavers love. Retrieved January 18, — via www. The first Redwall book features an unnamed beaver who helps Constance the badger build a bow, the only one ever seen before the books shifted to focus on animals commonly native to the British Isles. To avoid such situations, a beaver marks its territory with as many scent mounds as possible, signaling to intruders that the territory holder has enough energy to maintain its territory and is thus able to put up a good defense. Morgan, Lewis Henry Submit Feedback. Fossils indicate that it had a body length of two metres and was about the size of a black bear.

Beavers communicate by postures, vocalization, scent marking, and tail slapping. Beaver dam enlargement. Beavers are among the largest of rodents. Pond vegetation and bankside plants are also eaten. However, in the s, it was CB radio slang, neutral in connotation and even used by women themselves as a term of self-reference. The North American beaver Castor canadensis , also called the Canadian beaver which is also the name of a subspecies , American beaver, or simply beaver in North America, is native to Canada, much of the United States and the states of Sonora and Chihuahua in northern Mexico. Older offspring, which are around two years old, may also live in families and help their parents. Save Word. Therefore, the general prohibition on the consumption of meat on Fridays did not apply to beaver meat. Science Daily.

In the absence of existing ponds, beavers must construct dams before building their lodges. They are herbivores and prefer to eat leaves, bark, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants. They are the second-largest rodent in the world after the capybara. See also: Beaver eradication in Tierra del Fuego. With no close living relatives the mountain beaver belongs to a separate family , modern beavers are remnants of a rich evolutionary history of 24 extinct genera extending back to the Late Eocene Epoch of Asia and the Early Oligocene of Europe and North America. When they erect a new lodge, they fell the wood early in summer but seldom begin building until nearly the end of August. Retrieved April 11, Both beaver testicles and castoreum , a bitter-tasting secretion with a slightly fetid odor contained in the castor sacs of male or female beaver, have been articles of trade for use in traditional medicine. To save this word, you'll need to log in.

First Known Use of beaver Noun 1 before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun 2 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb , in the meaning defined above. Retrieved July 29, Retrieved September 23, A small resurgence in beaver trapping has occurred in some areas where there is an over-population of beaver; trapping is done when the fur is of value, and the remainder of the animal may be used as feed. See also: Beaver eradication in Tierra del Fuego. When the ice breaks up in spring, beavers usually leave their lodges and roam until just before autumn, when they return to their old lodges and gather their winter stock of wood. Beverly or Beverley , a placename found at various locations in the English-speaking world and also commonly used as a first name, derives from Old English , combining the words befer "beaver" and leah "clearing". Please tell us where you read or heard it including the quote, if possible. Castor Linnaeus , Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies.

Info Print Cite. Get Word of the Day daily email! The term "beaver fever" is a misnomer coined by the American press in the s, following findings that the parasite Giardia lamblia , which causes Giardiasis , is carried by beavers. Words related to beaver doer , pistol , dynamo , hustler , workhorse , sharpy , self-starter , fireball , live wire , spark plug , ball of fire , hot shot , go-getter , aholic. Accessed 10 Sep. For the quiz aficionado. Retrieved December 5, One litter per year of one to nine usually four kits is born in the spring after a gestation of days.

They are now considered a serious invasive species in the region, due to their massive destruction of forest trees, and efforts are being made for their eradication. The ponds created by well-maintained dams help isolate the beavers' homes, which are called lodges. Geophysical Research Letters. Beavers are colonial and primarily nocturnal. The distinctive tail is scaly, flat, and paddle-shaped and measures up to 45 cm about 18 inches long and 13 cm 5 inches wide. The lodge has underwater entrances, which makes entry nearly impossible for any other animal, although muskrats have been seen living inside beaver lodges with the beavers who made them. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Beavers are monogamous, mating between January and March in the north and November or December in the south. Comstock Pub. J Ethnopharmacol.

Journal of Mammalogy. Beavers have been trapped for millennia, and this continues to this day. Both sexes possess castor glands that exude a musky secretion castoreum , which is deposited on mud or rocks to mark territorial boundaries. Retrieved March 26, From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Much of the early exploration of North America was driven by the quest for this animal's fur. Archived from the original on July 18, The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber was hunted nearly to extinction in Europe, both for fur and for castoreum , a secretion from its scent gland believed to have medicinal properties. When they erect a new lodge, they fell the wood early in summer but seldom begin building until nearly the end of August. National Parks magazine: 30—

A beaver's teeth grow continuously so they will not be worn down by chewing on wood. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Morgan, Lewis Henry The animal has long been associated with Canada, appearing on the coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company in In the absence of existing ponds, beavers must construct dams before building their lodges. North American beaver Castor canadensis. Comstock Pub. Several cities in the United States have seen the reintroduction of beavers within their city limits.