8 Facts to Celebrate International Beaver Day (2024)

April 7 is International Beaver Day, so sink your (orange) teeth into these fun beaver facts!

1. Beaver teeth are orange.

8 Facts to Celebrate International Beaver Day (1)

Beavers have long incisors that get their orange color from an iron-rich protective coating of enamel. Their teeth grow continuously throughout their life, but daily use helps trim them down.

Because the softer dentine (bony tissue that forms a tooth) wears away faster than the enamel, a beaver’s teeth wear down unevenly. This gives the incisors a chiseled shape, which helps beavers cut through hard objects like wood.

2. Beavers are one of the few animals that modify their habitat.

Beavers build watertight dams made of woven sticks, reeds, branches and saplings caulked together with mud and rocks.

The dams form slow-moving ponds that reduce stream erosion and provide brand new habitat for small fish and other aquatic wildlife. Rocks make up a large part of dams. Beavers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo can even be spotted moving rocks around their habitat.

3. Beavers don’t just build dams. They also build lodges.

These dome-like lodges are often constructed away from the shore, forming islands that can only be entered from the water. A lodge can have multiple underwater entrances, with living quarters located in the top above the water line.

The walls are typically insulated, and a small air hole in the roof provides ventilation. The floor of a beaver’s lodge is often covered in wood shavings to absorb moisture and provide a comfortable place to sleep.

4. Beavers slap their tails on the water to indicate danger.

8 Facts to Celebrate International Beaver Day (3)

Beavers communicate using scents, vocalizations and posturing, but one of their most important signals is the tail slap. Typically performed by an adult, this loud alarm signal alerts others to seek refuge in deep water and may even frighten a potential predator away.

5. Beavers eat wood!

That’s right. Beavers sometimes snack on tree bark or the softer layers of wood underneath.

These herbivores also eat leaves, woody stems and aquatic plants. Some of their favorite foods – poplar, aspen, willow, birch and maple – are also (conveniently) their primary building materials.

Beavers also store branches on the muddy pond floor beneath their lodges to eat during the winter when they spend most of their time inside. The cool water acts like a fridge, keeping the stems fresh and preserving their nutrients.

Bonus: Beavers are very dexterous and tend to hold their food between their front paws to eat.

6. Beavers are the largest rodents in North America.

There are two living species of beaver: the North American beaver and the Eurasian beaver. North American beavers typically weigh between 35 and 65 pounds and are 3-4 feet long (standing 1-1.5 feet tall). The Eurasian beaver is slightly smaller than its North American cousin.

8 Facts to Celebrate International Beaver Day (4)

The North American beaver would be the largest rodent in the world if not for the capybara, a South American mammal that claims the heavyweight title.

7. A beaver’s activity is not synchronized with the typical solar day.

Light levels in a beaver’s lodge and underwater remain consistently low throughout a 24-hour day. Without cues from the sun, a beaver’s circadian rhythm, or regular day cycle, changes. Its “days” become longer, often varying in length from 26-29 hours. Beavers are primarily nocturnal and tend to be most active at night.

8. Beavers can stay underwater for about 6-8 minutes.

Large lungs allow beavers to stay submerged for an extended period of time. Though their movement may be awkward on land, webbed hind feet and rudder-like tails help them move swiftly through the water, where they can swim up to 6 mph.

Stop by American Trail to see beavers during your next trip to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo!

8 Facts to Celebrate International Beaver Day (2024)

FAQs

8 Facts to Celebrate International Beaver Day? ›

April 7 honors the Beaver Woman, Dorothy Richards on her birthday. Dorothy Richards studied beavers at Beaversprite Sanctuary in New York's Adirondack Mountains for fifty years. Wildlife historians estimate that in the early 1800s in North America, there were as many as 60-million beavers.

Why do we celebrate beaver Day? ›

April 7 honors the Beaver Woman, Dorothy Richards on her birthday. Dorothy Richards studied beavers at Beaversprite Sanctuary in New York's Adirondack Mountains for fifty years. Wildlife historians estimate that in the early 1800s in North America, there were as many as 60-million beavers.

What are some facts about the beaver family? ›

>> Beavers form monogamous pairs and usually live in family groups of up to 8 related individuals called colonies. The younger siblings stay with their parents for up to 2 years, helping with infant care, food collection, and dam building. >> Beaver families are territorial and defend against other families.

What are some facts about beaver Lodges? ›

Lodges are dome-shaped structures built of sticks and mud with a large interior chamber above the water line. Lodges vary in size from 6 to 40 feet, depending on the number of beavers in the colony. Beavers sometimes dig burrows into the banks of ponds, rivers and drainage ditches instead of building a lodge.

What is the biggest killer of beavers? ›

Their main predators are the wolf and bears. Beavers are also predated by alligators, coyotes, wolverines, cougars, lynx, bobcats, dogs, and foxes. Territorial fighting can have an indirect impact on beaver survival leading to injury and infection.

What is a fun fact about beavers for kids? ›

Beavers are the largest rodents (gnawing animals) in North America. Beavers are the second largest rodents in the world, behind the South American capybara. Beavers are powerful swimmers that can swim underwater for up to 15 minutes. As the beaver dips underwater, the nose and ears shut to keep water out.

What do beavers do all day? ›

They spend most of their time eating and building. Beaver create dams to make ponds, their favorite place to live. Dams are created by weaving branches together, felling trees by cutting them down with their teeth, and waterproofing the construction with mud.

How long can a beaver stay underwater? ›

Beaver can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes due to their ability to efficiently transfer oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream and to tolerate a build-up of carbon dioxide in the body. Their heart is more similar to that of an aquatic mammal than a terrestrial one.

How fast can beavers swim? ›

On land, a beaver's movements are extremely awkward, making them vulnerable to predators. In water, however, beavers can swim up to 6 mph (10 kilometers per hour).

How long can beavers live? ›

Beavers in the wild live about 10 to 12 years. They have been known to live as long as 19 years in captivity. They continue to grow throughout their lives and may reach 3 to 4 feet (0.9–1.2 m) long, including tail.

How fast is a beaver? ›

The chubby beaver is slow and clumsy on land, waddling along at the mercy of its predators. However, in water it becomes a sleek, stream-lined swimmer that can travel at five or six miles an hour. No wonder the beaver chooses to surround itself with water and builds a dam to make sure there's enough.

Why is the beaver special? ›

2. Beavers are one of the few animals that modify their habitat. Beavers build watertight dams made of woven sticks, reeds, branches and saplings caulked together with mud and rocks. The dams form slow-moving ponds that reduce stream erosion and provide brand new habitat for small fish and other aquatic wildlife.

How many beavers are left in the world? ›

Historically, beavers used to live in nearly every stream in North America with an estimated population of 100-200 million. Human exploitation and eradication efforts reduced those populations to approximately 10-15 million beavers today.

What is a beaver home called? ›

A beaver home is called a lodge. To build a lodge, a beaver must first carefully select a location. Usually, beavers choose a place that is close to their food source. Beavers eat leaves, bark and twigs of various trees.

How old can a beaver live? ›

Beavers in the wild live about 10 to 12 years. They have been known to live as long as 19 years in captivity. They continue to grow throughout their lives and may reach 3 to 4 feet (0.9–1.2 m) long, including tail.

Do beavers have 5 fingers? ›

Beavers regularly move between aquatic and terrestrial environments. Their small, dexterous front feet are well adapted to working on land. They walk on five digits, grasp sticks with their front paws and have well-developed digging claws.

How fast can a beaver swim? ›

Beavers are excellent swimmers and can swim up to eight kilometres per hour (five miles per hour). They spend a lot of time underwater and can hold their breath for up to fifteen minutes.

How big were beavers 10,000 years ago? ›

Was there a beaver that once lived in Canada that was up to‭ ‬2.2‭ ‬meters (7 feet) long, stood stood about 1 m (3 feet) tall, and weighed as much as a black bear? Well, the answer is yes! They existed here in Canada up to about 10,000 years ago.

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