Scottish beavers break tradition with wife-swapping
Beavers are known for their monogamy and mating for life.
But when two pairs were introduced to the wild west coast of Scotland, they let standards slip and promptly indulged in a partner-swap.
The five-year Scottish Beaver Trial was held in Knapdale Forest in mid-Argyll, and beavers remain in the area. Field operations manager for the trial, Roisin Campbell-Palmer, said: “During the monitoring period one of the interesting observations was that two pairs swapped partners.
“Beavers usually mate for life, however these were all young adults encouraged to form pairs either in captivity prior to release or at the release site after the loss of an original mate.
“When given the freedom to choose a mate on their own, they obviously preferred a different arrangement.
All of Europe is shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, that beavers would rather pick their own life partner than let some skinny Norwegian tech assign one randomly for them. Hand them the smelling salts and the fainting couches. I, for one am not in the least surprised. First of all, how do we know this was wife-swapping? Beavers societies are matriarchal in structure, so wouldn’t it be better to call this a a case of “husband-swapping” instead?
Second of all, I
remember Sharon Brown of Beavers: Wetlands and Wildlife advising me once that Dorothy Richards had been surprised when a female beaver she wanted to have kits turned down the mate she introduced and picked her own. We can only wonder why. “His dams were uneven? He snored in the lodge? His Castoreum smelled funny?” We might never know. But we at least know this.
Beavers like to make their OWN decisions. (They are not unlike people in this regard.)
“This is actually a natural and positive outcome as animals selecting their own partners are shown to have strong pair bonds and higher reproductive rates.”
The beavers – who came from Norway – were obviously happy with their new companions because soon one of the pairs bred for the first time, and the other female was suspected of being pregnant, although no kits were ever seen.
