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Beaver Needs
What makes beavers remarkable is the way they adapt their habitat to suit their needs. The dam is perhaps the most obvious example of this. Typically built across a slowly flowing river or stream, beaver dams are often 45 metres long (150 feet) and two metres (6 feet) high. They can be up to 3 metres or about 10 feet wide at their base. This dam needs to be large enough to create a pond 2 to 3 metres deep; deep enough that it will not completely freeze to the bottom even in the coldest winters. Built of branches, stones, roots and mud a typical dam will consist of about 250-280 cubic metres of material. But that is not all a beaver needs. A beaver lodge that is 2 metres high and 6 metres (or 20 feet) in diameter will need another 20 or more cubic metres of material. In total then, every beaver family needs enough lodge and dam material to fill a small two bedroom bungalow. In addition, beavers need food: approximately 660
grams or about So beavers need a lot of boreal forest: flowing water to dam into a pond, lots of building material, and plenty of food located close to the pond. It is not easy to find the right conditions, so only a small part of the boreal forest is really suitable as beaver habitat. Reprinted with permission of Alberta Community Development, Cultural Facilities and Historical Resources Division. |
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Updated August 1st, 2001 by AB |