Beavers by Komel and Fruti

Vermont Animals - Beavers

By Fruti and Komel

Hello, we’re Fruti and Komel and we’re studying beavers today. We love learning about animals. Do you? It’s fun. Beavers are very cool animals. They are very smart in how they protect themselves and they work a lot for their lodge. You know, beavers are very soft and clean. They swim very well. We didn’t know so much about beavers, but we learned in different ways. It’s not hard to learn about beavers. You can do it too - just read on!

Before they make their lodge, beavers build a pond and you might want to know how they build it. They chop down trees with their yellow teeth and they put very big sticks called logs on a small river. The logs make a dam, which blocks or stops the water and then it makes a pond. On the pond, the beavers build their lodge. The beavers make their lodge with sticks. They collect it together and then they take the mud and put it together so the sticks will not fall apart. They swim in the water then they come to their home. There are two entryways (doors) in the water that they can go inside. When any animal comes that eats them or hurts them, they can swim quickly to their lodge and go in either entryway.

If a bear comes, then the beaver sees it, then they splash their tail and then the other beavers know there is a bear or other animal coming. They go under the water and swim into their lodge. And the bear can’t fit in their lodge. This is how they protect themselves. Beavers have a flat tail that makes a loud noise when it slaps on the water. It sounds like a gun, or like a hunter’s coming.

You all might be wondering about their bodies and how they look. We all thought they were small, like a mouse, but beavers’ bodies are actually 24 - 36 inches long and their tails are 12 - 18 inches long. Their tails are like pancakes - they’re flat. Beavers weigh 44 to 60 pounds - the same size as Komel! Their thick, oily fur is brown. They have very sharp yellow teeth. Beavers have webbed feet that help them to swim. They have 5 toes on each clawed foot. It’s legs are short legs. Their front feet are small. They stand up on their hind legs to chew a branch on a tree.

Oh, sorry, we didn’t write about babies! Baby beavers are called kits. Beavers wait for sixteen weeks for a baby. Kits can swim out of their lodge when they are a week old.

Here are a few more interesting facts about beavers. Beavers are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. Beavers are a kind of mammal. They live in the United States and Canada. Beavers open their eyes while they swim, but they close their mouths and ears to keep the water out.

I think we have a lot of good stuff that we told you about. Now it’s time to say “good bye” and I hope you should also read more about beavers from books.