social life
Territory
Every beaver pond is home to several individuals that are related to each other – most often, an adult pair and their offspring from the current and the preceding year. The pond and its surroundings comprise a territory which is defended against intruders of the same species. The boundaries are marked with strong scent from musk glands near the anus.
Winter pleasure
During the winter, beavers live a quiet life in their lodges, and swim in the water beneath the ice. Just outside the lodge, beneath the ice, they keep a supply of winter fodder. The long days and weeks of the winter season are filled with the pleasures of mating.
New life
The young, usually two in number, are born during the spring or early summer. They can walk and swim from the moment of birth, but remain in the lodge for several weeks. Both parents look after them, along with any older siblings. The young reach maturity at age two, when they leave the family and search along the waterways for partners and territories of their own.
