Well, this is a fun study published in Norway.  Seems they set up camera traps at beaver l0dges on both sides of the creek: where beavers were and where beavers weren’t. Guess side had more wildlife? Go ahead, guess.

It’s not just beavers that live in beaver lodges

Beaver lodges are built mainly for beavers and their families, but they often receive visits from other animals.Along streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes, beavers builds their lodges. They may look like a pile of twigs.

But they are in fac sophisticated structures that beavers use all year round.“The entrances are below the surface of the water. Beavers dive straight into a large chamber that functions both as a swimming pool for the young and a dining area for the family,” says Frank Rosell, a researcher at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Together with colleague Hanna Kavli Lodberg-Holm, he is part of the Norwegian beaver project.

I’m so interested to see what they found. Aren’t you?

The researchers found six species that regularly spent time around the beaver lodges.

These were otters, American mink, wood mice, field voles, and the birds robin and reed bunting. All of these were found in far greater numbers near the lodges than on the opposite side of the river.

But what were they doing there? And where were the beavers?

It turned out that these animals were most active around the same time as the beavers – during the evening and at night.

You know that’s wrong, correct? Beavers aren’t IN their lodges at night. They are AWAY from their lodges at night. This study has basically used expensive camera equipment and a team of scientists to find out burglars are most likely to visit your home while you’re at work. Isn’t that amazing?

Previous research has shown that insects and fish also tend to stay near beaver lodges. Perhaps that’s why the small rodents and birds gather there, to hunt or feed on fish and insects?

Ya think?

Or maybe they’re drawn to the leftovers – bits of branches, twigs, and grains colleced by the beavers in autumn.

Another possibility is warmth: Inside the beaver lodges, temperatures stay pleasantly warm through the cold winter months.

Since the wildlife cameras captured only still images, not video, the researchers couldn’t say for sure why so many other animals visit the lodges. They plan to explore this further in a new research project starting soon.

Anyway the article finished with the coolest stock photo I have ever seen. I hesitate to re-post because I’ve already been sued once for this crime. But you need to see it. Look to the right of the beaver because I believe that’s a lodge entrance with a big old fish swimming along.