KNOWLEDGE BASE

The authors of this study noted that relatively little research had gone into beaver physiology in comparison to beavers' ecological impacts. This study focused on how the production of a hormone called lectin changes in different seasons and sexes of the Eurasian beaver. The hormone receptor was found in all 34 beavers tested, but some glands varied their production of the hormone with the seasons. The authors suggest that leptin plays a role in the regulation of beavers' reproductive cycles.

This experiment analysed the composition of fats from within three different muscles of the Eurasian beaver. Comparing the loin, hind leg, and shoulder, it was found that, overall, the shoulder muscle had the most beneficial fat profile (for human consumption). The introduction also includes some history of (and context for) beaver meat consumption in Europe. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This study examined how Eurasian beaver couples use the space in their shared territory. It found that their territories overlap but that each partner moves independently, often with large distances of around 500m between them. Beavers are closest at the start and end of their active periods (at the start and end of the night). Moving independently of each other may help avoid predation.

Scientists in the USA studied how landscape and habitat characteristics influence the presence of semi-aquatic mammals such as beavers and muskrats. They found that occupation by beavers was affected by stream size, stream density, and the proportion of land covered by forest. The muskrat also depended on forest cover, but also was influenced by how deep the stream channel was and the habitat's soil chemistry.

A fair amount of research has shown that, by building dams, beavers change the balance of invertebrate species in the immediate area. This study tested this hypothesis in an area of the USA where this hadn't been tested and found similar impacts. Overall, fewer (and different) species were found around beaver dams rather than in free-flowing reaches of streams.