North American beaver

North American beaver Castor canadensis

The North American beaver is America’s largest rodent, similar in size to a medium-sized dog. Their average weight is 30-75 pounds (Virginia DWR).

Known as ecosystem engineers, beavers fell trees and create dams that can alter a landscape and create new ponds and wetlands. When living in ponds, beavers often create distinctive free-standing lodges, but riverine beavers often create bank lodges that are attached to land.

On the Shenandoah, I usually observe beaver foraging behavior starting around sunset. Food items typically consist of leaves in the summer and bark as winter approaches.

A beavers emerges at dusk on the North Fork of the Shenandoah

A beaver dives to reach the underwater entrances of its lodge

Beaver lodges are a nexus for other riverine species - providing habitat for fish and turtles and even other small mammals like muskrats. The profusion of life also draws in predators like mink and great blue herons.

A beaver crossing over a low-water bridge reveals its full body. Though somewhat ungainly on land, beavers are efficient swimmers.

Clambering up the banks of the Shenandoah, North Fork, a beaver searches for an evening meal.

Beavers are connoisseurs of leafy greens which they sample with nimble claws.

Beavers often drag branches back to the water where they can consume them at leisure (knowing they can make a hasty aquatic escape in case of danger).

Detail view of beaver consuming leaves

Scent marking

When onshore, beavers use specialized glands to create scent mounds which can serve as territorial markers. The odor is something that is impossible to truly communicate through a website, but folks have made valiant attempts.

“People have described it to me as smoky, woody, or like tobacco.”

https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2014/06/beavers-and-trees-a-woodland-arms-race.html

“An odorous combination of vanilla and raspberry with floral hints”

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501813/brief-history-castoreum-beaver-butt-secretion-used-flavoring

I’ll just say that it smells beavery!

Beaver grooming session