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American Beaver

The American beaver (Castor canadensis) is North America's largest rodent. They are known for building dams, canals, and lodges.

Size: Adult beavers weigh 40-60 pounds and grow up to 40 inches in length.

Life Span: The average lifespan of the Beaver in the wild is 20 years

Color: Glossy brown

Continent: North America

Range: Beavers are found across most of North America, excluding Florida, the Southwest and Mexico.

Habitat: Beavers live in ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes, and streams.

Food: Beavers will eat soft aquatic vegetation when available, but prefer trees that grow along streams such as alders and willows. They also eat maple, poplar, beech and aspen. In the zoo they are fed yams, lettuce, carrots and rodent chow.

Reproduction: Female beavers are believed to be monogamous whereas some think males may breed more than one female. Gestation is 90-100 days and the female generally gives birth to 3-6 young. Kits born in the family will usually only stay for about 2 years before setting out to establish independent adult lives.

Fun Facts: This animal has very prominent front teeth (central incisors), generally stained an amber color, which are always growing and must be used consistently to keep them trimmed back.

Conservation: Beavers are not threatened or endangered.