KNOWLEDGE BASE

A debate surrounded the extent to which wolves used advanced thinking for hunting. Wolves typically hunt larger prey but occasionally target beavers. This study reports on the first-ever documented case of a wolf attacking a beaver. This event was recorded on video and shows that the wolf takes the beaver by surprise, showing advanced cognitive skills - they likely learn from past encounters to hunt effectively.

This document tells the story - from a fairly academic veterinary perspective - of a captive beaver kit, aged 8-10 weeks, who got injured multiple times by another beaver. The 10-month treatment process involved antibiotics, anesthesia, physiotherapy, and anti-inflammatories, some of which had never been previously reported as being used in juvenile Eurasian beavers. The welfare of the beaver and the possible reasons behind the injury were also discussed. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

As the Eurasian beaver spreads following successful reintroductions, different populations are mixing. In southern Germany, scientists used genetic analyses to track beavers' origins and how they had dispersed over the region. They found that the beavers in this area likely originated from three main sources, and that there had likely been some mixing between the different populations. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

With the relationship between beavers and wolves being pretty poorly understood, this text tried to bring together the research that had been done to identify what more research was needed. Wolves prey on beavers, with beavers being especially vulnerable in the ice-free season. However, beavers aren't wolves' primary prey. The complexities of this relationship had received little robust research and this was identified as a research need going forward.

Beavers vanished from areas north of Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1900s due to trapping, disease, and over-grazing of willow by elk. This paper brings together 24 years of data since their reintroduction in 1986. It finds that beavers have thrived despite sub-optimal availability of food, and that beavers have helped willow trees expand in the area. Beavers are shown to be helpful in ecological restoration efforts.