Details
Castor fiber
Eurasian beaver is a large Eurasian rodent that engineers waterways by felling trees and building dams. Reintroductions restored it in many regions, bringing wetland benefits as well as local flooding concerns.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives along rivers, lakes, marshes, and ponds with woody plants such as willow or poplar. Main habitat types in this guide are freshwater, forest.
Typical length 80-100 cm, weight 11 kg-30 kg. A flat tail, webbed hind feet, and dense brown fur support an aquatic lifestyle.
It is nocturnal and colonial or group-living. Family colonies build with branches and mud, changing water levels around their lodges.
It is herbivorous. Herbs, leaves, bark, and twigs are eaten, and branches may be stored underwater for winter.
A breeding pair anchors the colony, and kits are raised inside the lodge.
Although still widespread in places, it remains sensitive to habitat change. Reintroductions restored it in many regions, bringing wetland benefits as well as local flooding concerns.
