The beaver

📖 In short

The beaver is an engineer! It has thick brown fur, strong orange front teeth and a wide, flat tail like a paddle. Beavers cut down trees with their teeth and use them to build dams and lodges in rivers.

🤩 Did you know?

A beaver can stay underwater for about 15 minutes.
A beaver's back toes are joined by webbing that helps it swim.
A beaver has two kinds of fur: a soft inner coat and long outer hairs that keep the water out.
Beavers eat tree bark, leaves and water plants.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 Teeth that never stop growing

A beaver's front teeth grow all its life, but they don't get too long because it gnaws wood every day, which keeps them sharp and the right length.

🔍 The dam builder

The beaver gathers branches, stones and mud and builds a dam across the river, so the water rises behind it and makes a calm pond where it lives safely.

💡 A house with an underwater door

The beaver builds its lodge in the middle of the pond from branches and mud, with the entrance underwater so wolves and foxes can't get in. Inside it's dry and warm.

🎯 A useful tail

A beaver uses its wide tail to steer as it swims, and leans on it while cutting trees. If it sees danger, it slaps the water hard with its tail to warn its family.