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Beaver
Castor linnaues
by Nyador
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Podentia
Family: Castoridae
Genus: Castor
Species: linnaeus
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Physical Description
Adults can weight up to 65 pounds and measure from
24 to 36 inches plus a tail which is 12 to 18 inches. With its webbed feet
and waterproof fur it can swim much faster and not weigh itself down. It
has a very large tail which is used to build its home. With its tail it can
give a warning signal to those who threaten it. It has two large front teeth
to cut down trees and bring it to its home to create a lodge. A beaver can
take down a tree in one night!
Diet and Feeding Habits
The beaver is a vegetarian which means
it doesn’t eat meat. Their main choices of food are leaves, twigs, and the
inner bark of trees. A beaver can take down a fully grown tree in one night.
Reproduction
Beavers breed in January and February and after a gestation
period of 110 to 120 days, one to six young kits are born, in May or June.
The kits are born furred with eyes opened, and teeth. They weigh about
one pound and nurse from two parts of milking areas. In six to eight weeks
they begin to wean. May nurse sporadically for another month or more and
remain with their parents until they become mature. Usually a couple of
years later the parents and kits continue a family unit. Once that is over
and the kits are finally mature they will leave the family or get kicked
out of the family.
Habitat
Beavers live in the water in their homes. The homes that they
live in are called lodges. These lodges are made with trees, sticks and mud.
The beaver in an aquatic animal meaning it needs to live is water surrounded
environments.
Role in the Ecosystem
Beaver play an important role in the ecosystem of many wetlands.
The beaver is an herbivore. The beaver’s niche is usually wet aquatic
lands such as streams rivers etc. As you know the beaver is an herbivore
so that means that it doesn’t eat meat. There are many more eating habits
than being a herbivore. There is carnivore which means that the organism
only eats meat. There is omnivore which mans the organism only eats plants.
Then there is Scavenger which means that the organism eats whatever it can
find.
Beavers can take down a fully grown tree in one
night. That puts and big impact on the humans. With these trees beavers
build dams along rivers and streams. While doing that creates small ponds.
These ponds in turn provide a habitat for a variety of plants and animals
that depend on aquatic environments. The beavers not only are making a
home, but are creating a habitat for many more organisms. Eventually when
the beavers move on and the pond splits up, rich organic soil is left in
its place. This soil will provide valuable nutrients for vegetation that
follow.
Bibliography
http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/Professional-Trapper/howtogetridofbeavers.htm
http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Wetlands/Bog/BeaverQTVR.htmlhttp
bleuniversity.com/websites/alienexplorer/ecology/m43.html
http://www.ksr.ku.edu/libres/Mammals_of_Kansas/beaver.html
http://www.sciencebob.com/lab/q-web-chain.html
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