B is for Beavers!

Welcome to blogging through the alphabet. Amanda and I are having a hoot with this series. Join us won't you?  Today we are at letter B.
I have to admit, beavers wasn't my idea, it was completely my son's.

He is all into Canada this year and beavers are an animal we just finished learning about.

I thought I'd start off with a simple primer on beavers, it certainly doesn't tell you everything, but it's a good intro anyways.



We learned some interesting facts about beavers
  1. The sound of running water makes them build a dam.  This is why, if a culvert is running water and a beaver is anywhere nearby, they will keep building a dam as often as you tear it down.
  2. They do not use their tails to carry mud.   They carry stones and mud in their very capable front paws.
  3. Their tails are used as an early warning device for family members and other animals that live near the pond.  They sometimes slap the water for fun, and their tails are a fat resevoir to help them over the winter.
  4. Their latin name is Castor Canadensis
  5. They are North Americas largest rodent, weighing 40-60 lbs, and are clumsy on land, preferring to stay close to water for quick getaways. 
  6. They compensate for their poor eyesight with an excellent sense of smell and hearing.
  7. Beavers do not hibernate, in fact they build stash piles of wood under the water to hold them over the winter. 
  8. They have a double layered coat, which is part of the reason they were hunted so extensively when Canada was forming as a nation.  Beaver skin hats and coats were guaranteed to keep the wearer warm. 
  9. Vegetarians, with webbed feet that are strong swimmers.  Warm coats, large animals, beavers are an important part of Canada.
  10. Beavers are a symbol of Canada.   The fur-trade was an important part of colonial North America bringing in people from all over to exploit this natural resource.  It brought in money for the developing colonies, which fed a range of other businesses, all helping with the growth of our nation.    They are seen as a hard-working animal and as such are placed on our nickel. 
Feel free to link up your family friendly posts using the letter B this week.   

A Net In Time
Schooling
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23 comments

  1. I did not know that beavers build in response to the sound of running water. This was a great post - I read it to the kids this morning to kick off our homeschool day. Thanks!

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    1. I know...they are a funny critter. Apparently also when they cut down trees they don't always know which way or when the tree will fall and sometimes get caught by it. (with unfortunate results)

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  2. I've seen beavers before, but never really thought much about them. Thanks for the interesting facts!

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    1. glad to help you learn more about them. :)

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  3. The beaver trade was a big deal down here too...back in the 1700 and 1800's. I'm kind of glad I've never seen a live one thought, they're HUGE and somewhat scary.

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    1. they are a big rodent, but on land fairly clumsy so not a huge danger.

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  4. What a bundle of interesting facts. Thanks for sharing them with us. - Lori

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    1. thanks for stopping in Lori, and for taking part. :)

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  5. I did not know that it's the sound of the running water that triggers their dam-building instinct. Pretty neat!

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    1. I know, we learned that this summer while camping (hence the interest now in beavers). :)

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  6. I have to say before coming here I knew next to nothing about Beavers. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. always good to learn new things isn't it?

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  7. What a fun topic! I loved reading this and will plan on sharing it with our kids for a unit study in the near future!

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    1. YAY!!! Beavers in a unit study. What are you studying?

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  8. Learned so much from your post, Annette! I never knew about the water slapping thing. Amazing. We've always loved beavers; there's a family of them that has lived for years and kept a dam going at our local nature center.

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    1. Oh good, I love it when people learn something new

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  9. I don't think I have read anything about beavers before. Other than they build dams and trapped for their fur. I learned some new things. Might have to intrude my kids to the beaver!

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    1. That would be good, beavers are interesting creatures

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  10. I didn't know that running water triggers their dam building, but it does make sense.

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  11. Those are great facts. I made a note to share them with the boys on Monday for science. :)

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  12. That was very informative!

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Hi! thanks for stopping by. I love comments, it is good to talk with each other eh?