KNOWLEDGE BASE

Introduced beavers have thrived in southern Patagonia due to habitat availability and absence of predators. This article demonstrates for the first time that Culpeo foxes, an endangered native species in this area, prey on beavers under natural conditions. The event was caught on video and analysed for this article. This interaction suggests foxes may help control beaver populations in this area.

The study aimed to understand what trees Eurasian beavers prefer in different sites in eastern Poland. Willows, aspens, and alders were most commonly cut. Tree size and proximity to water also influenced the likelihood of a given tree being cut.

This study in Norway looked at Eurasian beaver behaviour and birthing times and how this overlaps with Norway's hunting season. Researchers found that younger beavers are more likely to be shot, regardless of sex. Pregnant females' movement patterns are similar to other beavers'. However, after giving birth (most commonly in mid-May), females are less active for a time, which enabled them to avoid hunters in the spring season. This may change as climate change affects the seasons.

This was the first study to try to understand how North American beavers select their habitat across different spatial scales, using beavers in an area of the USA as a data source. They found that the same factors appeared to influence beavers' decisions to settle in a specific area within the landscape, and a specific site within that area. Beavers here preferred areas with more woody wetland and less open water, for example, which likely gave them easier and safer places to forage.

This study tested beavers and prairie dogs from an area of Mexico for evidence of a specific bacterium. This bacteria can infect mammals including humans. Whilst no animals showed any clinical sign of the disease, both species were producing antibodies to the bacteria, indicating that the bacteria was around. The text also notes that little is known about beavers in Mexico.