{"id":6958,"date":"2023-07-18T09:01:50","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T08:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/life-beaver.eu\/?page_id=6958"},"modified":"2023-07-18T09:16:44","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T08:16:44","slug":"beaver-identity-card","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/life-beaver.eu\/en\/about-beaver\/beaver-identity-card\/","title":{"rendered":"Beaver identity card"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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ID Card<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Eurasian beaver is the second largest rodent in the world. Besides its chisel like teeth \u2013 the front incisors, with which the beaver is effectively chewing tree bark and wood, its other main morphological characteristic is flattened tail covered with scales. Its chubby body is covered in dense, usually brown fur. Despite its short ears, its hearing is extremely good; its sight is relatively poor, but its smell is well developed and used also for communication. It has great swimming and diving capabilities. It walks on land on all four, sometimes it also moves short distances on its hind feet, meanwhile carrying in its front paws sticks or mud for construction.<\/p>\n

The beaver is exclusively herbivorous and is looking for food within a 20 m range of the water edge.  It is mainly feeding off tree bark, leaves and buds of various wood species (willow, poplar, alder …) as well as with herbs and aquatic plants. It can also fell trees as wide as 1 m in diameter, however it usually prefers smaller trees as the tiny twigs and leaves are easily reachable. During the periods of aquatic vegetation scarcity, it can also forage for food within the fields, meadows and orchards.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Body length without tail<\/strong>: 80 to 100 cm
Body mass<\/strong>: 23 to 35 kg
Tail<\/strong>: 30 to 34 cm length, up to 16 cm in width
Webbed feet<\/strong> for swimming are only present on hind legs.
Fur thickness<\/strong>: 12 000 \u2013 23 000 hairs\/cm2<\/p>

Dental formula<\/strong>:
Upper row of teeth 1013
Bottom row of teeth 1013<\/p>

Number of fingers<\/strong>:
Front paw has 5 fingers
Hind foot has 5 fingers (the claw on the 2nd finger is double and used for combing)<\/p>

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Scientific Classification<\/strong><\/p>

Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Castoridae
Genus and species: Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber<\/em>)<\/p>

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Ilustration: Jurij Mikuleti\u010d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ecosystem Engineer<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Beaver is the largest European rodent and a key species of wetland habitats. Its life is inseparably linked with freshwater. With its engineered structures involving felled trees, beaver huts and dams, it can majorly re-construct and enrich aquatic ecosystems and with them ensure favourable conditions for various number of organisms. Named an ecosystem engineer, it creates and reconstructs wetlands, side watercourse channels and increases flow variability. By doing so, it mitigates the effects of climate change (droughts, floods), reduces amount of greenhouse gases and contributes to cleaner surface and underground waters.<\/p>

Beaver, therefore, offers us several engineering services. Without beavers, we would have to hire civil engineers and water managers, paying them quite a lot of money!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore about ecosystem services of the beaver ...<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

Beaver activity in landscape provides favourable living conditions for various organisms and increase biodiversity of aquatic and semiaquatic ecosystems. Especially important is beaver created landscape high in biodiversity, as consequently, richer ecosystems are more resistant to climate change and negative influences from the surroundings (e.g., pollution). This is one of the main reasons why beaver is a key species of freshwater systems.<\/p>

Fast flowing stream or river spills into a pond above a beaver dam, increasing biodiversity. Beavers create suitable environment for species that favour slower water flow. For example, certain species of amphibians, birds, insects, fish and aquatic plants. Deepened water behind a river dam becomes an important shelter for fish (and other aquatic inhabitants) during droughts and winters. Beaver activity (such as digging side channels and redirecting water-flow) increases biodiversity of animal and plant species in the area. Fallen tree logs can also become food source for deer, and abandoned beaver dams and huts can be used as a shelter by various animals.<\/p>

Beaver feels safest in waters which are deep enough for complete submerging (at least to 80 cm depth) and therefore also hiding from predators. Beaver dams cause a slowdown of water flow and deepen the water depth. Sometimes, beavers also dig side watercourse channels, which enable easier access to food resources and building material. Beaver feeds itself exclusively on plant material.<\/p>

It is true that behind the beaver dam, occasional flooding of surrounding landscape can occur, and can consequently cause anger among landowners and farmers. However, by raising water level and digging side channels beaver also creates and maintains wetlands, which are of paramount importance!<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhy are wetlands so important?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

Wetlands are one of the most important and at the same time, most endangered ecosystems in the world. Since 1970, we lost already 35% of them and 90% since 1700. As wetlands disappear, we are also losing several ecosystems services, which play a key part in creating benefits for people and nature alike. The roles wetlands play are the following:<\/p>