We are definitely learning about the unique personalities of our three new beavers. (It is of course possible that they all act every way at different times), but, subject to some frequent revisions, we are beginning to spot some patterns.
One is tenacious in his/her pursuit of delicious treats, especially if mom is eating it. The Veruca Salt of beavers, he/she is more likely to snatch the food from mom’s paws that to go find their own. Mom completely ignores these demands and turns her back or stands up to get her breakfast out of reach. She parents these demands without any sentimentality whatsoever, but also without aggression. We kept expecting a big blowup after the millionth attempt to steal her food, but it never came. When junior’s on the warpath she will just go to another place to eat, although she never goes over the dam, where they aren’t allowed yet.
There’s definitely a smaller, more snuggly kit, who sometimes just wants to be close to mom or to nuzzle. That kit seem to enjoy “the company of beavers” and wants to be near the others no matter what they’re doing. This is the adorable star of the footage I shot on June 13th, hitching a ride on mom’s back. She parents this kit with gentleness and nurturing and will stay near while she eats or grooms. Get your cameras out when this kit approaches because it encourages adorable behavior in everyone.
Photo: FROgard Butler
I am less familiar with our third hero, but I believe this is the adventuresome “national geographic” explorer who climbs bravely out of the water onto the dam in search of food. The kit is never worried by being alone, and not after mom’s food either. S/he has places to go, things to see, crannies to overturn. This kit swam the course of the pond underwater with narry a glitch, quite an accomplishment for a 5-6 week old floating cork. S/he takes spectacular risks, and runs back to the lodge in terror when they go spectacularly wrong. Which they do regularly. His or her tumble is featured in the June 17th footage.
It is tempting to ascribe gender traits to these beavers, and say the sweet one is a girl or the brave one is a boy, but I am purposely avoiding it. Beavers are monomorphs that have no external sex characteristics whatsoever. The matriarchal structure of beaver life means that females need to be just as competent and just as skilled as their male counterparts. They disperse for greater distances and do equal ‘heavy lifting’. Several times in her careful chronicle famous beaver writer Hope Ryden ascribed gender to her subjects only to be proven wrong when visible teats were seen during nursing season. These kits won’t be here when they raise their own familes, so we will likely never know the gender of these beavers.
And that’s just fine with me. I think Brat, Baby and Explorer will serve excellently as gender ambiguous heroes.
