What Is A Baby Beaver Called? | IFLScience

Skip to main content

CLOSE

Thank you!

We have emailed you a PDF version of the article you requested.

Can't find the email?

Please check your spam or junk folder

You can also [email protected] your safe senders list to ensure you never miss a message from us.

CLOSE

IFLScience Home

What Is A Baby Beaver Called?

Complete the form below to listen to the audio version of this article

64249EmailCountryPlease ChooseAustraliaCanadaUnited KingdomUnited StatesAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFiji IslandsFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern territoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoNorth MacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern IrelandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTajikistanTanzaniaThailandThe Democratic Republic of CongoTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweReady to spark your curiosity? Get our newsletter full of awesome, inspiring, and strange science.You can unsubscribe at any time. View ourprivacy policy and terms below.Please ChooseYesNo

Listen

Cancel and go back

IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.

For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out ourPrivacy Policy

Ad

• Support Science Journalism

  Become a member

  UPGRADE
• 

  MY ACCOUNT

• 

  SIGN OUT

• 

  MY ACCOUNT

• THE VAULT

• MAGAZINE

• 

  SIGN OUT

DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION

SHARE

FOLLOW US ONNEWS

Beavers are one of the largest rodents in the world – and, not that looks matter, they also happen to be one of the cutest. While beavers the size of bears once roamed north America, they were out-competed by their tiny brethren whom we have come to know and love today. A product of a happy monogamous relationship, beavers are the epitome of wholesome hardworking folk, but what do we call a baby beaver?

The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Baby beavers are called “kits”. Born in the spring months, little ones are called "yearlings" when they reach a year old. Joining beavers in the kit category are:

• Ferrets
• Muskrats
• Rabbits
• Skunk
• Squirrels
• Weasels

True to their adorable nature, kits will be raised by both their parents in a semi-submerged dwelling called a lodge, where up to three generations of siblings form what’s known as a colony. Female beavers can give birth to up to six kits each year, so conditions in the lodge can get pretty cramped.

These fluffy workaholics are born with all their fur and the very beginnings of their 25-millimeter (nearly 1-inch) teeth. Kits are even able to swim just 24 hours after being born, taking their first intrepid steps out of the lodge at around three to four weeks.

After two to three years of domestic bliss in their family home, the kits will head out into the world to find their own life partner and swanky digs.

The humble beaver, however, is more than just a pretty face. Classed as “ecosystem engineers” they are constantly hard at work maintaining, changing, and enhancing their environment. Beavers are a keystone species, filling an ecological niche whereby their individual impact on their habitat is larger than most organisms.

Not only do beavers use trees as building material for their dams and lodges, trees are also an on-the-job snack as beavers are one of the few mammals that can digest cellulose.

Beavers build large dams – up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) high – by weaving branches together and patting in mud to create a waterproof barrier. Changing the flow of water creates large pools or ponds, the perfect refuge and feeding ground for a beaver colony.

By altering the flow of rivers and streams, beavers can flood large areas of land. When these semi-permeable structures get abandoned and eventually erode, what’s left of the once flooded waterbed becomes a highly fertile meadow.

The build-up of sediment and debris caused by the dams also changes the chemical composition of the environment: increasing carbon and decreasing nitrogen in the environment diversifies the ecosystem. These newly created standing water sources also encourage new and different species into the area.

While beavers are no longer considered an endangered species, they are still under threat from deforestation and urbanization of their native areas. Our relationship with beavers is mutually beneficial, and we stand to gain a lot by making sure they stick around.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHEDJuly 1, 2022

Written by Charlie Haigh

Discuss (0 CommentS)Discuss (0 CommentS)

SHARE

FOLLOW US ONNEWS

link to article

Justin Schmidt Was Stung By Over 150 Species In His Career. Weirdest Of All, It Was On Purposecreepy crawlies

Justin Schmidt Was Stung By Over 150 Species In His Career. Weirdest Of All, It Was On Purpose

7 hours ago5

link to article

Geologists Found The World’s Oldest Water. Did They Drink It? No, Here’s Whyplanet earth

Geologists Found The World’s Oldest Water. Did They Drink It? No, Here’s Why

8 hours ago157

link to article

There May Be Twice As Many Vertebrate Species On Earth As Thought, Thanks To Hidden "Cryptic Species"Nature

There May Be Twice As Many Vertebrate Species On Earth As Thought, Thanks To Hidden "Cryptic Species"

Yesterday2

Multimedia

link to article

The Science Behind GLP-1s

The Science Behind GLP-1s

link to article

Swearing Can Be Good For You

Swearing Can Be Good For You

link to article

Why Do We Need The Dark? Find Out More In Issue 43 Of CURIOUS – Out Now

Why Do We Need The Dark? Find Out More In Issue 43 Of CURIOUS – Out Now