KNOWLEDGE BASE

Scientists in Hungary identified a new polyomavirus (PyV) in two Eurasian beavers, marking the first global discovery of PyV in these animals. This virus was likely a new species, although further research was needed to understand its impact on beaver health. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

In mammals, the uterus usually degenerates as the male foetus develops but, in some male Eurasian beavers, the leftover structure - called the uterus masculinus - can be quite large! This does not affect reproductive ability. This paper investigated the hormones present in this organ, finding lower levels of progesterone and estradiol compared to the female beaver's uterus. The uterus masculinus has also been reported in other animals, so these findings could help contribute to our understanding of gender identities and reproductive health issues. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

Researchers characterised the soil moisture and plant communities present in the beaver meadows of the Ablánc stream, Hungary. The results showed that the beavers' dams created conditions of permanent flooding and, so, very high soil moisture levels, supporting the presence of various water-dependent plant species. This demonstrated beavers' ecosystem engineering capabilities.

In this paper, researchers used bibliometric analysis to examine the existing body of research relating to beavers. The researchers identified a skew towards research in the USA, UK, and Canada, and a growing interest in research relating to beaver population dynamics. However, only a small portion of studies explicitly focused on beaver-related ecosystem restoration. The review made recommendations of what research was needed to guide conservation and restoration efforts going forward, suggesting that holistic "socio-ecological management models" were needed, including early public engagement.

Six beaver territories and 34 individual beavers were identified in the Boletice military area, Czech Republic, during winter 2021/2022. These beavers mostly consumed willow trees, typically up to 6 cm in diameter. Please note, this paper is written in Czech but the abstract is available in English.