Sunday’s parking lot ribbon cutting brought good will to the beavers and inspired some great guesses about how many kits mom will produce. Three and Five, respectively, seem to be the most expected numbers, and i think they are both solid guesses. One scientific mind was trying to take into account the decreasing habitat to determine population growth, but I reminded him that mom isn’t looking much skinnier these days, even before she ballooned into the beaver Madonna.
While I was trying to research beaver reproduction and count days to see if we may already be beaver grandparents and just not know it, I learned something I never really noticed before. Beaver estrus (the time when a beaver is able to become pregnant) is only 12-24 hours once a year. Think about that! No wonder they need to mate or life. The odds of meeting “Mr Right” (or even “Mr. Right Now”) during a twelve hour window, are pretty darn slim. Better keep him around and not take any chances.
I also learned that estrus can be triggered early if there is unusually warm weather, and we had some days above 70 in January. Beaver gestation is between 104 and 128 days. I’m thinking if our warm days in the second week of January triggered an early estrus, they might have “seized the moment” and mom could possibly have given birth already.
Apparently she still feeds outside the lodge all night while the kits sleep, and they nurse during the day, although they are trying solid food in the first week. Some milestones to think wistfully about? Dietland Muller-Schwarze says they first dive at 6-7 days, first swim under water at 9-10 days, and are ready for their first tail slap at 3-4 weeks.
Ohhhhhh do we need a lodge camera!
Other delightful beaver news this weekend? We heard from Claymation wizard Ian Timothy of Kentucky that the beavers near his house have built a lovely secondary dam under a footbridge, allowing for maximum viewing potential. Check it out:
