Beavers are builders from the animal world. Food of the river beaver - photo of the river beaver Where can beavers live swamp

The river beaver lives in the freshwater environment of lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. This animal was recently on the verge of extinction. This situation has arisen due to the fault of humanity, which likes to wear warm hats and fur coats.

The entire life of a beaver is connected to the aquatic environment. To make it easier for the animal to swim, there are membranes on its hind legs, and a large tail also helps.

The beaver reaches a weight of up to 23 kg and a length of 135 cm. Females are always smaller than males. The beaver is characterized by a blunt muzzle, small ears and short legs. The beaver's fur consists of several layers: the first layer is coarse red-brown hair, the second is a gray undercoat that prevents hypothermia.

The reservoirs in which beavers live should be in forested areas, deep and with a slow flow. Animals often create artificial conditions, “making” huge dams from tree branches, algae, and silt.

Beavers diligently build a dam in order to change the direction of water flow. Underwater, a beaver dam can be up to 3 meters thick, and from above it narrows to about 60 cm. The strength of the dam is surprising; it can easily withstand the weight of a horse!

Beavers deliberately change the water flow so that water floods dry places and forms a pond in which the animal will build a hut. Their house resembles an upside down cup. There are 2 rooms in the house: a family of beavers lives in one, this room is filled with rubble. And near the exit, the second room is a pantry with food supplies for the winter. The beaver's house can be seen above the surface of the water. But for protection purposes, the entrance is located under. water.

Schematic representation of a beaver dam and house. As you can see, the house is a separate building.

As expected, there are two exits from the house: the front exit and the emergency exit.

This is all great, of course, but why do beavers need dams? The answer is simple, in winter these rodents remain active and they need a dam of sufficient depth so that they do not freeze to the very bottom. The dam helps raise the water level. In general, you need to be well prepared for winter, otherwise you’ll be in trouble :-).

Film: “Beavers. Great builders." From the series “Alone with Nature.”

Interesting video about the life of beavers. By the way, did you know that beaver dams have the shape of an arc concave against the current; all modern dams built by man have the same shape. And it is no coincidence that an arc concave against the flow can best withstand the pressure of water. The last minute is a complete mess :)

Film for children: All about animals [Beavers].

Idyllic video: Beaver washes his hair / Beaver Resting.

A beaver can also get along with people without difficulty: “They sheltered a beaver (Beaver Semyon).”

Semyon. Continuation.

They play an important role in the life of the city. They can decorate it, or they can disfigure it. They can bring coziness and comfort into the lives of city residents, or they can seriously ruin it. It all depends on the skill, taste and education of the architect. And sometimes, in pursuit of beauty, they lose sight of the reliability and safety of the building. The same cannot be said about our smaller brothers - beavers. This is someone who could teach a master class to any builder. And if these animals are not distinguished by the sophistication of their construction, then in terms of complexity, uniqueness and reliability they have practically no equal. Beavers are among the top ten best architects of the animal world.

Beaver's home

Beavers belong to the class Rodents. And they are its largest representatives in Europe and Asia. The dimensions of the animal are very impressive (for a rodent) - they reach a meter in length and weigh about 35 kg. These animals in Rus' have always been revered for their construction talent, perseverance, hard work and strength. A beaver can gnaw, knock down and clear branches of a tree about half a meter in diameter overnight. The logs are used to build dams and to build housing.

So what is a beaver's home like? Let's figure it out. Beavers have, so to speak, three types of housing: a hole, a semi-hut and a hut. Beavers dig holes and live in them all summer. The hole is a chamber about one meter wide. The floor is covered with dry grass and shavings. It is always twenty centimeters above the water level; if the water rises, the owner of the hole raises the floor, laying another layer of bedding on it. There are always several passages leading into the hole, starting under water. This way the animal can protect itself from uninvited guests. The beaver's second home is a semi-hut. The beaver builds it if the hole has collapsed, and there is nowhere to build a new one, or simply does not want to leave their home. A half-hut is an intermediate option between a hut and a hole. The entrance to this dwelling is made under the shore, and where there was a living chamber, a dome is built from branches and grass and strengthened with silt.

Architects at the call of nature

But the beaver's main home is called a hut. The rodent prepares thoroughly for its construction. The beaver spends the winter in the hut and breeds offspring. This beaver house is a grandiose dome-shaped structure made of branches and brushwood, held together by silt and earth. The walls of the house are so strong that even a bear cannot break them. A hut is built in the deepest part of the reservoir. And this is no coincidence. In winter, the reservoir can freeze to the bottom in shallow places.

And since the entrance to the beaver’s home begins under water, in the event of severe frosts the animals will not be able to get out. There is also a breathing hole in the hut. And on frosty days there is steam above the house, this indicates that the owners are at home. The temperature in the hut, even in severe frosts, is above zero and the animals feel very comfortable. Another architectural wonder that these amazing animals are famous for are dams. Beavers build them in order to maintain a certain water level near their home. The entire beaver family participates in the construction of the dam. Tree trunks and branches are used as building material, but if wood is in short supply, beavers steal everything they find: stones, car tires, bottles, etc. These are the beavers - amazing furry builders. And they really need our protection.

It is precisely because beavers erect structures that seem only capable of human hands that in ancient times these animals were considered bewitched by people.

Even with the most detailed examination of beaver dams, it is impossible to find any flaws on them. How do they do this? Do animals really have such a developed mind, or are they guided only by instincts? In order to answer these questions, you need to get to know beavers a little more.

These animals spend most of their time in the water; they can swim and dive well. They also move on land, but in comparison with water it is rather clumsy, and this determines many features of their life.

For example, beaver houses consist of two levels: the entrance is under water, and the living space is located above the surface. Of course, this layout ensures the safety of the animals.

It is precisely to prevent water from flooding the upper floor of the hut, or, conversely, from draining the underwater entrance, that beavers build dams, thereby regulating the water level in the river. Where it is not possible to build a dam (for example, if the river is too wide), beavers settle in bank burrows, but at the same time make several entrances to their homes.

On fast-flowing rivers, animals, in addition to the main dam, build several more dams, which are essentially reminiscent of sea breakwaters.

Not a day goes by without beavers inspecting the dam. If they notice a hole in it, they will immediately begin to fix it. If the gap is large, several beaver families patch it together.

There are many known cases when beavers quickly flooded railways, residential streets, etc. People broke through the constructed dam, but stubborn animals quickly repaired it. In this case, you can get rid of the problem only by catching and relocating the beavers to another place.

Why beavers build dams with such persistence is a complex question. Apparently, nature created them this way, and this cannot be corrected.

We found out why beavers need a dam, but now it’s time to find out how they do it. It all starts with choosing a suitable place, one where trees grow near the water's edge. With the help of strong and saw-sharp teeth, beavers cut down trees, then install branches and trunks vertically, burying them in the bottom of the river.

In addition, a tree that has fallen across the river is readily used as a frame. The task in this case is simplified, since all that remains is to compact the existing base with building material. To fill voids, beavers use branches, reeds, as well as stones of various sizes and silt.

How does a beaver build a dam from a technological point of view? Their teeth help animals “fell down” trees: they rest against the bark with two upper incisors, and quickly move the lower ones from side to side, which resembles the movements of a saw.

This process does not take much time: a beaver, for example, can handle a willow trunk in five minutes. Several animals can work on thick trees at once.

As a rule, beavers work in pairs: while one is busy with the work process, the other watches and rests, waiting for his turn. This ensures process continuity.

If the tree does not stand on the very bank and does not fall into the water on its own, then the animals “saw” it into pieces and then gradually drag them into the river. In order to transport trees, beavers can also dig channels that lead directly into the river and are filled with water from it.

The scale of the buildings erected by beavers is truly amazing: in the American state of Montana, on the Jefferson River, animals built a dam 700 meters long! Today it is the largest of all known. In addition to their size, the strength of the structures is also surprising: many dams are capable of supporting even a rider on a horse.

Having taken up the construction of the dam, the beavers work sparingly, practically without interrupting the process. On average, it takes one family of beavers a week to erect a ten-meter dam.

One might think that beavers know in advance or are able to calculate in which direction and when a tree will fall, and in the past they were actually credited with such abilities. N Today it is known that animals, although not often, still die under fallen trees, and this excludes speculation about their “superpowers.”

However, this in no way detracts from the unconditional talents of beavers in the field of construction. People can only guess, but they are unlikely to ever know for sure how beavers manage to accurately calculate the strength of the current in order to build additional breakwaters.

Animals are also skillful in determining how large a piece of a whole tree should be so that it can be easily transported from the shore to the water.

Another argument in favor of the intelligence of beavers is the way they build their homes. A beaver hut is a reliable structure, protection from bad weather, cold weather, and predatory animals. The living space is located at least 20 centimeters above the water level, but if it rises, the beavers raise the floor.

To do this, the required amount of building material is scraped from the ceiling and carefully leveled over the floor. The thickness of the hut ceiling is such that even if several people stand on it at once, it will not fall through. Inside the living room there is always exemplary cleanliness: after eating, the animals carefully clean up after themselves so that they can sleep in order. Animals excrete only in water, so as not to pollute their home.

The beaver dam is a unique structure, and, of course, one should not underestimate the intelligence of animals. But the fact that they are guided by instincts is also indisputable.

So, for example, being in a zoo, where there is no need to worry about the construction of housing, food, or the water level, beavers constantly brick up the drains of the pools. This is such a curious animal, a beaver. He clearly doesn’t need a dam in the zoo’s pool, but nature cannot be fooled.

A short message about the beaver will tell you what they eat, where they live and how these animals build. A story about beavers for children can be supplemented with interesting facts.

Brief message about beavers

The beaver is a fairly large rodent mammal, known as a dam builder. Distributed in North America and Eurasia on the banks of forest rivers, streams and lakes. They build dams and dams from fallen trees, causing the water level in the dams they create to rise.

Description of the beaver for children

The beaver is a rather large rodent, its weight can reach up to 32 kilograms. Body length is about a meter. He has valuable fur, however, there is no fur on his tail, instead there are scales. When a rodent swims, its fur does not get wet, and it does not freeze in the water. The tail is interestingly designed; it helps the beaver to “steer.”

The animal can spend up to fifteen minutes under water. It has swimming membranes on its paws, thanks to which the animal reaches speeds of up to ten kilometers per hour. There are also sharp claws on the front paws. The rodent's teeth, especially the four front incisors, are sharp; they are real tools and act like a saw.

The beaver family consists of several individuals, about five in total, but they can also live alone. In the fall, beavers work a lot, and in the summer - much less. In winter, they do not leave their homes at all, especially when it is cold.

Beaver lifespan- about 20 years in captivity, in nature - about 15 years.

What do beavers eat?

Beavers feed on the bark and young branches of trees that are specially felled for this purpose, gnawing at the base. But for the winter we have to make preparations: animals hide tree bark under water.

Beavers love to build. As soon as they like the area somewhere, they immediately begin to build. And definitely near water. The fact is that animals feel calm and safer in water than on land.

These water-loving animals can build burrows and huts. In both design options, the exit from the home is under water.

The beaver liked the steep bank - he digs a hole. And if the bank is flat, then the animal builds a hut from branches, sticks, twigs; the animal uses clay and silt as a cementing mortar for the structure.

Beavers are smart animals, they are called “guardians of the rivers.” They build dams in the water basin and thereby prevent the reservoir from drying out. A beaver dam is an absolutely necessary building. Thanks to it, the water level rises, and the beaver’s life becomes more comfortable.

We hope this report on beavers has helped you. You can leave your report about beavers using the comment form.

Any child knows that every beaver is an excellent builder! These representatives of the animal world build such amazing and perfect dams from fallen trees that an experienced engineer and talented hydraulic engineer could envy such structures! Why do beavers build dams?

The vastness of our planet is home to a huge number of animals leading both semi-aquatic and aquatic lifestyles. In the CIS, one of the funniest and most attention-grabbing aquatic inhabitants is the beaver., because literally his whole life is connected with water. Most often beavers live:

• in lakes;
• in streams;
• in rivers.

A large flat tail and webbed hind paws allow the beaver to move quickly, easily and freely through the water, and with the help of long, strong incisors it the animal manages not only to gnaw incredibly thick branches, but even to fell huge trees, which at first glance is simply impossible to do! Another amazing feature of the beaver and its adaptation for life in water is the isolation of its incisors from the rest of the oral cavity. This allows the beaver to chew on branches and trees underwater, eliminating the possibility of choking.

Beaver habitats are divided into two types:

• burrows;
• “huts” (animals build them exclusively in places where digging holes is impossible - on marshy soil, shallows or low banks).

Why do beavers build dams? Reasons for construction and features of structures

So, why do beavers build dams using branches, sticks, as well as stones, silt and clay? Firstly, these hardworking animals have a task - change the direction of water flow in order to subsequently flood certain places and form a kind of pond, where the beaver will later build his house, which is also called a “hut”. Secondly, by constructing a kind of artificial ponds with the help of dams, beavers create the most favorable conditions for the appearance of thickets and marsh vegetation in the creeks. Thus, plantations of lush greenery become an additional help in the diet of animals.

The standard size of a “hut” is 20–30 meters long, 4–6 meters wide and 1–2 meters high. At the same time, North American beavers hold the record for the length of their huge hydraulic structures. Especially large dams are located in the least densely populated areas, where the virginity of nature is not disturbed by human activity.

According to scientific observers, dams of incredible size periodically appear in American nature reserves. The length of one of these dams is 230 meters and the width is 70 meters However, an even larger structure was soon discovered, the length of which is more than a kilometer. Presumably, the construction of such a dam took at least several decades, and several generations of beavers were involved in the construction.

Beavers begin building a dam by gnawing at the base of a tree. When large trees fall and form the base of a dam, animals use smaller trees for further construction, strengthening the dam with branches, stones and clay. Dams built by beavers are usually so strong that they can easily support the weight of a large animal., for example, horses.

What is a beaver's hut? What does it look like and why build it?

After the dam is built, the beavers begin building their future home. “Huts” are real engineering structures made of soil and tree branches of different sizes, which from the outside remind a person of an ordinary pile of brushwood. Such houses look like an inverted bowl, consisting of two spaces separated from each other. One such room is filled with small rubble, it serves as a home for a whole family of animals, while the second, near the exit, is a storage room for tree branches and shoots (the food supplies of these animals).

Usually the house of the beaver family protrudes above the water surface by 1–3 meters, but the entrance to it is always under water, where even in very severe frosts the water does not freeze. Moreover, during construction, intelligent animals strictly control the size of the entrance and arrange the approach to the house so that only beavers can get into it. At the top of the “hut” there is a small hole through which light and fresh air enter the beaver’s home. In beaver “huts” animals store food supplies, sleep, and raise beaver cubs. A cozy and warm home for beavers also helps them protect themselves from enemies and wait out the cold seasons.

Beavers not only carefully plan the construction of the dam, but also closely monitor this structure. If any damage occurs, the animals immediately begin repairing their home, since the safety of the entire family depends on it.