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Living in the land of the Beaver (Canada - we have a Beaver on our 5 cent coin even) they are weird animals. I live near a nature trail with a river and you ca

Living in the land of the Beaver (Canada - we have a Beaver on our 5 cent coin even) they are weird animals. I live near a nature trail with a river and you can find the results of there "work" everywhere - cut down trees and dams. Not many animals invest so much effort cutting down very large trees and creating dams. Lived here for 22 years, see their dams, and a LOT of "spikes" in the ground where small trees once stood but have never actually seen a Beaver in the wild??

SuoDuanDao 4y ago
Fellow Canadian here - I only ever saw one quite far from beaver activity, apparently a young male striking out on his own. Otherwise I gather they hide in their dens when humans are about. I'm reminded of those Canadian Humorists the Arrogant worms' excellent prose: "you might think a rodent/ is a pretty lame choice/ for a national animal, but/ don't you listen to that voice Cuz all them birds and predators/ Just take from the land/ but the beaver/ Always gives a dam"
- kennend3 4y ago
  Thankfully I had young kids and live near the Toronto zoo.. so i did get to see them ;)
- dreen 4y ago
  Do be careful around beavers though. Their teeth are REALLY strong, I know at least one example personally of a human killed by a beaver, it bit through a critical vein in his leg and the guy bled to death. To be fair the guy was a hunter so I guess karma.
  - kennend3 4y ago
    I think your point should be expanded a bit. Do not interact with wild animals in general. They are not pets, they are not domesticated and are unpredictable. They can and will bite, often shockingly hard.
    - daniel-cussen 4y ago
fullstop 4y ago
I'm in the USA and the only time I've seen beavers in the wild is when they are swimming and I'm in a canoe. They must be better at hiding from humans when they are on land. In the water they're easy to spot because of the ripples behind them, and because they often slap the water with their tail to warn others of danger (my canoe, apparently).
- daniel-cussen 4y ago
lazide 4y ago
They tend to stay away from humans, but can be very aggressive if they feel someone is on their turf. And have crazy big teeth that can take out a human no issues if they want. Apparently they absolutely hate the sound and feel of running water, which is the behavioral cue that apparently causes all that dam behavior. [https://wildlifehelp.org/solution/new-york/beaver/how-prevent-beavers-damming-culverts/112 https://wildlifehelp.org/solution/new-york/beaver/how-preven...] There is a good more-calming-than-it-has-a-right-to-be culvert clearing guy (post10) that can be entertaining. He’s run across beavers a few times, and is always clearing out culverts and drains they clog [https://youtu.be/ojQlk1yGHSw https://youtu.be/ojQlk1yGHSw]
gnabgib 4y ago
Never? Probably depends on where you are in the country, but they're quite bountiful in the west. Even seen kits with their parents.

SuoDuanDao 4y ago

Fellow Canadian here - I only ever saw one quite far from beaver activity, apparently a young male striking out on his own. Otherwise I gather they hide in their dens when humans are about. I'm reminded of those Canadian Humorists the Arrogant worms' excellent prose: "you might think a rodent/ is a pretty lame choice/ for a national animal, but/ don't you listen to that voice Cuz all them birds and predators/ Just take from the land/ but the beaver/ Always gives a dam"

kennend3 4y ago
Thankfully I had young kids and live near the Toronto zoo.. so i did get to see them ;)
dreen 4y ago
Do be careful around beavers though. Their teeth are REALLY strong, I know at least one example personally of a human killed by a beaver, it bit through a critical vein in his leg and the guy bled to death. To be fair the guy was a hunter so I guess karma.
- kennend3 4y ago
  I think your point should be expanded a bit. Do not interact with wild animals in general. They are not pets, they are not domesticated and are unpredictable. They can and will bite, often shockingly hard.
  - daniel-cussen 4y ago

fullstop 4y ago

I'm in the USA and the only time I've seen beavers in the wild is when they are swimming and I'm in a canoe. They must be better at hiding from humans when they are on land. In the water they're easy to spot because of the ripples behind them, and because they often slap the water with their tail to warn others of danger (my canoe, apparently).

daniel-cussen 4y ago

lazide 4y ago

They tend to stay away from humans, but can be very aggressive if they feel someone is on their turf. And have crazy big teeth that can take out a human no issues if they want. Apparently they absolutely hate the sound and feel of running water, which is the behavioral cue that apparently causes all that dam behavior. [https://wildlifehelp.org/solution/new-york/beaver/how-prevent-beavers-damming-culverts/112 https://wildlifehelp.org/solution/new-york/beaver/how-preven...] There is a good more-calming-than-it-has-a-right-to-be culvert clearing guy (post10) that can be entertaining. He’s run across beavers a few times, and is always clearing out culverts and drains they clog [https://youtu.be/ojQlk1yGHSw https://youtu.be/ojQlk1yGHSw]

gnabgib 4y ago

Never? Probably depends on where you are in the country, but they're quite bountiful in the west. Even seen kits with their parents.