Meet the Beaver

The North American Beaver

Castor canadensis

The Original Hydrologist & True Ecosystem Engineer

KEYSTONE SPECIES & ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is a keystone species and vital ecosystem engineer. Beavers reshape watersheds to meet their needs: building dams, excavating canals, digging burrows, raising lodges, and guiding the growth of riparian vegetation. Together, these behaviors slow, spread, and store water, creating complex, healthy wetlands that benefit countless plants and animals (including people)!

Beaver-made wetlands are among the most biologically productive habitats on Earth, comparable in value to coral reefs and rainforests. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates the nation has lost more than half of its freshwater wetlands; in the American West, wetlands cover about 2% of the land yet support roughly 80% of regional biodiversity. Acting like the landscape’s kidneys, Beaver’s modification behaviors filter water and help restore entire watersheds.

Increase Biodiversity

Beaver landscapes attract many different species of fish, invertebrates, mammals, birds, & more.

Carbon Storage

Beaver wetlands are significant carbon sinks that contribute substantially to greenhouse gas mitigation.

Wisdom

"The beaver represents wisdom" because they use their "natural gifts wisely" for their survival

Regulate Water Quantity (Storage, Flow, & Replenishment)

Dams slow and spread water, storing it in ponds and groundwater to sustain baseflow and recharge aquifers.

Restore Watershed Health

Beaver-induced process-based changes (aggradation, floodplain reconnection, vegetation recovery) kickstart self-sustaining riverscapes.

Moderate Extreme Events

By increasing hydraulic roughness and floodplain connection, beaver complexes blunt flood peaks, hold moisture through droughts, & mitigate floods/

Fire Refuge

Green, saturated beaver meadows often burn less severely and provide wildlife and riparian vegetation refugia during and after fires.

Expand Habitat

Beaver-created ponds, side channels, and wet meadows expand riparian area and aquatic habitat complexity across the valley floor.

Improve Water Quality

Slower water settles sediment and pollutants and promotes nutrient removal via denitrification

Beaver 101

FUN FACT

Beavers have large, orange-colored incisors that are continuously growing and are used for cutting and chewing through trees and other vegetation.

BIOLOGY & ECOLOGY

Beavers in North America have a stocky build and a broad, flat tail that is covered with scales and short hairs. They have webbed hind feet and long, sharp claws on their front feet that are used for digging and manipulating objects.

Their fur is thick and dense and can range in color from dark brown to reddish-brown.