Muskan

· 30 Dec 2021

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What Do Beavers Eat

Beavers are rodents that live in the woods. They are amphibians and primarily nocturnal. They live in colonies with up to eight members including adults and young ones.  They can grow 3 to 4 feet long. An average beaver weighs between 40 and 60 pounds, while the heaviest beaver ever recorded weighed in at a whopping 110 pounds! Beavers in the wild can live up to 12 years. They are distinct from muskrats and nutria, which are both large aquatic rodents. Muskrats are smaller than beavers and have long, flattened tails. Beavers are brown in colour with dark tails. Let us explore more about Beavers and what do beavers eat?

Do they eat wood?
As they are often seen nibbling on a tree, one might believe they consume trees, but they chew on them for a different reason. Beavers are unable to climb trees in order to obtain the tasty green leaves. As a result, they deliver the food to them. They use their huge teeth to nibble on trees until they fall. Then they get access to a salad bar where they can eat as much as they want! Beavers devour tree bark as well as the soft timber beneath the bark. They don't, however, eat the wood. They use the dead trees as dams and as growing areas for other plants. This vegetation will be collected and stored in their lodges.

Foods Beavers Consume
Beavers are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants and other forms of flora. They eat the inner bark, as well as the bark and foliage of trees. They will also eat shrubs, twigs, and fruits. Beavers prefer aquatic plants such as lilies, pondweed, and cattails since they spend so much time in the water.
The following is a list of what beavers eat:
•    Bark on the inside
•    Leaves
•    Twigs
•    Shrubs
•    Cottonwood trees
•    Alder trees
•    Aspen trees
•    Birch trees
•    Willow trees
•    Aquatic plants
•    Lillies
•    Cattails
•    Pondweed

Winter Eating Habits of Beavers
It's astonishing how resourceful beavers are when it comes to winter food storage! They spend the winter in their lodges, which are situated on the water. As a result, they line the bottom of their lodge with fresh tree branches in the fall, before the water freezes. As the temperature drops down to freezing; the water on top of the branches freezes. They swim out of their lodge and under the ice to find their branches when they're hungry! Clever!
Aspen trees are beaver's favourite trees, according to research. Beavers prefer to build their lodges near trees they like, so they look for places near water and aspen trees. Birch, alder, cottonwood, and willow are among the plants they eat. They dislike coniferous trees such as pine and spruce, although they may eat and digest them if food is short.

Feeding habits of baby beavers
Like any other baby animal, baby beaver also feeds on mother’s milks during initial few weeks of their lives i.e. they exclusively feed on mother’s milk for the first six weeks, after which they begin to eat other items such as leaves, bark, and inner bark. Until the baby beavers are old enough to venture out, other beavers in the family bring food to them.

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