KNOWLEDGE BASE

The beaver is uniquely adapted for swimming, with a streamlined body and webbed feet. This document studies the function of the beaver tail. The tail has a muscular base and a flattened "paddle." The tail is shown to propel the beaver through water by undulating. This adds to the power from the paddling of the beavers' hind feet. This observation is said to be consistent with how biologists think mammals evolved towards life in the water. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This study monitored a population of beavers translocated from the Czech Republic to the Netherlands. At the new site, willow trees budded sooner in the year than at the old site. Willow is a key food for beavers and the nutritional quality of leaves reduce as they mature. The authors suggest that this likely contributed to a low reproductive rate in the translocated beaver population as they were unable to get sufficient nutrients during gestation in spring. This study illustrates one of beavers' possible challenges facing the climate crisis. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This vividly-illustrated book offers a diverse array of ecological tales, showcasing how animals navigate the boundaries set by their physiology and environment. One chapter recounts the story of the beaver's return to the Netherlands. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

In this study, researchers analysed the genes of Eurasian beaver populations from across Eurasia. They focused on 8 'relict' populations that survived the peak of beaver overhunting in the late 1800s. They found 16 types of gene pattern, none of them shared by more than one of these populations. However, these 16 patterns can be grouped in two main genetic lineages, eastern and western, which were possibly formed during the last ice age. The study suggests managing each population as a distinct unit and offers guidelines for future conservation efforts.

This text charts the history of the North American beaver from before European colonisation to the present. It explains how overhunting led to a severe reduction in beaver numbers, beaver ponds, and the amount of sediment that those ponds had been stopping from flowing downstream. Beaver populations have partially recovered to around one-tenth of their prior levels. Today, beaver dams still trap significant sediment. Beaver dam collapses are more common than many people think, and the collapses can cause floods and infrastructure damage.