Beavers in the snow and ice fascinate us. This photo was posted on the Norwegian beaver site yesterday with the explanation that a progressive freeze and thaw made it possible. i myself like to imagine an entire family chewing on the trunk should to shoulder – dad, mom. yearling, and kit with descending heights all represented. They wrote:
We received this photo last week from Troy Sweeney of an American beaver who has made this practical stairway. We have heard that similar beaver-made stairways have been observed in ice-covered river banks. Anyone heard of that?
isn’t that lovely? When you think of the very cold freeze across America this year, and the places that don’t usually get ice and snow suddenly filled with frozen lakes and streams, I wonder how beavers are faring in Georgia or Alabama. They never expected this weather either, so its not hard to imagine they were unprepared for it. I’d be curious if the ones that survive suddenly start to food cache next year?
It would certainly teach us something about beaver ability to plan for the future based on new data. Which, if you think about it, would actually make them smarter than lots of humans.
Dee Cavasina of the Finger Lake Times in New York wrote about beaver in the snow in this recent column.
BEYOND THE FENCE: Architects of nature
New York’s official state mammal, beavers average 40-45 pounds with lengths up to 36 inches, of which their tail adds another 12-14. Even though this semi-aquatic, nocturnal creature is rarely spotted, this does not deter us from knowing of their presence. If you venture on an early morning or near dusk tour, you might be fortunate enough to witness a beaver or two gliding through the pond their dam has created. Remain inconspicuous, though, as beavers are shy, and although they will defend their territory with a vengeance from other beavers, they would rather not interact with humankind.
Non
etheless, the beaver is an amazing creature with ability to visualize, manipulate and craft their environment for living that stands second only to that of humans. They will assess areas for running water as well as surrounding environment in order to sustain a developed water depth, via their dam, which will provide safety and enable travel to and from their lodge even after winter’s freeze.
The beaver … true visionaries, perfecting their environment to meet their needs while inadvertently providing further habitat for fish and waterfowl; an amazing feat that can be witnessed while visiting beyond the fence.
Nice praise of beavers, but you stopped before you started to get to the good stuff! If you think those paragraphs describe what beavers do as amazing then wait until I tell you how their dams change the entire ecosystem! You’ll be flabbergasted!
