Beavers are large, semi-aquatic rodents of the family Castoridae, which in its extant form contains a single genus, Castor, with two recognized species: the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) and the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber). Members of this family are characterized by robust bodies, dense waterproof fur, continuously growing incisors adapted for gnawing wood, and a dorsoventrally flattened, scaly tail used in locomotion and communication. Castoridae are ecosystem engineers, constructing dams and lodges that modify hydrology, sediment dynamics, and riparian vegetation, thereby influencing biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and wetland formation in temperate freshwater ecosystems.
As we transition into spring, wildfires are on the minds of many Canadians. In fact, wildfires have already started in some parts of the country.
Ecology
May 11, 2026
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A University of Alberta study has whittled down climate-related reasons beavers are emerging earlier onto the ice from their lodges in the spring—a shift that helps them store more winter food but could also lead to more ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 28, 2026
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April 26 marks the 40th anniversary of the explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The accident caused the largest ever release of radioactive material into the environment, and at the time ...
Ecology
Apr 24, 2026
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A study has provided new evidence of beavers' expansion into the Canadian Arctic by dating the changes they have made to the tundra landscape as they spread northward. Published in the journal Ecosphere, the research combines ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 24, 2026
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Beavers should be embraced as key allies in the fight against biodiversity loss according to scientists at the University of Stirling, after new research revealed the significant ecological benefits the animals bring to wetland ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 26, 2026
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Across Europe, beaver numbers are increasing after a long period of decline. As these aquatic mammals recolonize rivers, they are gradually rebuilding wetlands that once existed across many river valleys.
Plants & Animals
Mar 18, 2026
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More than 40% of extant large freshwater animals (megafauna), including carp, salmonids, crocodilians, turtles, beavers, and hippopotamuses, have been deliberately introduced outside their natural range, often for economic ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 9, 2026
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A major new international review co-authored by Professor Gemma Harvey, Professor of Physical Geography in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Queen Mary University of London, highlights how species that ...
Ecology
Feb 11, 2026
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Humans are far closer to meerkats and beavers for levels of exclusive mating than we are to most of our primate cousins, according to a new University of Cambridge study that includes a table ranking monogamy rates in various ...
Evolution
Dec 9, 2025
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