One thing I discussed with Felix our tree-faring biologist was the seasonal nature of beaver diets. Ours seem to start enjoying blackberry bushes with the warmer months, and sure enough we saw two kits munching down on them this morning. One was doing the lovely reach under the trailing branches, and the other had hiked right onto the bank to munch at close range. Later he brought a stash of branches into the old lodge which seems to be functioning now like a picnic table. The dams look lovely, and the song sparrows and swallows are back in full force. It’s worth a morning walk if you’re so inclined.
Beaver friend Lisa Owens-Viani from the SFEP directed me to the March issue of the Chesapeake Bay Journal which has a host of articles on beavers.This delightful quiz is from educator and designer Kathleen Gaskell, and you should all do very well on it. The test construction-trained psychologist in me has a problem with number 2, and number 9 is actually a matter of some controversy, but its a fun challenge to your beaver brains.
1. When a beaver swims underwater, its heart beat drops to half of its usual rate and it uses up to 75 percent of the air in its lungs. (For a comparison, humans use 15 percent of the air in their lungs.) This allows the beaver to stay underwater for about how long?
A. 5 minutes
B. 10 minutes
C. 15 minutes
D. 20 minutes
2. True or false? When born, kits (baby beavers) are well-furred, have open eyes and are ready to enter the water within 24 hours. They are adept swimmers within two days.
3. True or false? On land, mother beavers have been observed carrying their kits with their forepaws and on their tails.
4. True or false? All beavers build dams.
5. Instead of months, Algonquin-speaking tribes’ gave each full moon its own name based on a natural event that usually took place at that time. Beaver Moon is the time of year when beavers are most likely to be seen because they are actively preparing for the cold months ahead. Which month does Beaver Moon refer to?
6. The average beaver today weighs 45-60 pounds and is 3-4 feet long. About 10,000 years ago, a giant beaver roamed North America. How big was it?
A. 150 pounds, 5 feet long
B. 300 pounds, 6 feet long
C. 400 pounds, 8 feet long
D. 500 pounds, 10 feet long
7. Beavers were once found in Great Britain. The word “beaver” is thought to come from an Old English word, “beofor.” What does beofor mean?
A. Brown animal
B. Moat builder
C. Paddle tail
D. Tree feller
8. True or False? In the winter, when ice makes it difficult to leave a frozen stream or river, beaver will eat fish living under the ice.
9. After man, which of these animals poses the greatest danger to beavers?
A. Bears
B. Foxes
C. Mink
D. Otters
Answers
1. C 2. False – Kits are adept swimmers at about one week. The rest of the statement is true. 3. False 4. November 5. A. 6. C 7. A 8. False, beavers are strict herbivores. In the winter, they feed on a host of logs and limbs that they have stuck into the stream or river bottom earlier in the year. 9. Otters. They are able to swim up the entrances of the beavers’ lodge, where they prey on the kits.
