Beavers are herbivores, and prefer the wood of quaking aspen, cottonwood, willow, alder, birch, maple and cherry trees. They also eat sedges, pondweed, and water lilies.
Beavers do not hibernate, but store sticks and logs in a pile in their ponds, eating the underbark. Some of the pile is generally above water and accumulates snow in the winter. This insulation of snow often keeps the water from freezing in and around the food pile, providing a location where beavers can breathe when outside their lodge.
Fossil remains of beavers are found in the peat and other superficial deposits of Britain and the continent of Europe; while in the Pleistocene formations of Britain and Siberia, occur remains of a giant extinct beaver, ''Trogontherium cuvieri'', representing a genus by itself.
Beavers have webbed hind-feet, and a broad, scaly tail. They have poor eyesight, but keen senses of hearing, smell, and touch. A beaver's teeth grow continuously so that they will not be worn down by chewing on wood. Their four incisors are composed of hard orange enamel on the front and a softer dentin on the back. The chisel-like ends of incisors are maintained by their self-sharpening wear pattern.
Beavers continue to grow throughout life. Adult specimens weighing over are not uncommon. Females are as large as or larger than males of the same age, which is uncommon among mammals. Beavers live up to 24 years of age in the wild.
Although superficially similar to each other, there are several important differences between the two species. Eurasian beavers tend to be bigger, with larger, less rounded heads, longer, narrower muzzles, thinner, shorter and lighter underfur, narrower, less oval-shaped tails and shorter shin bones, making them less capable of bipedal locomotion than the North American species. Eurasian beavers have longer nasal bones than their North American cousins, with the widest point being at the end of the snout for the former, and in the middle for the latter. The nasal opening for the Eurasian species is triangular, unlike that of the North American race which is square. The ''foramen magnum'' is rounded in the Eurasian beaver, and triangular in the North American. The anal glands of the Eurasian beaver are larger and thin-walled with a large internal volume compared to that of the North American breed. Finally, the guard hairs of the Eurasian beaver have a longer hollow medulla at their tips. Fur colour is also different. Overall, 66% of Eurasian beavers have pale brown or beige fur, 20% have reddish brown, nearly 8% are brown and only 4% have blackish coats. In North American beavers, 50% have pale brown fur, 25% are reddish brown, 20% are brown and 6% are blackish.
The two species are not genetically compatible. North American beavers have 40 chromosomes, while Eurasian beavers have 48. Also, more than 27 attempts were made in Russia to hybridize the two species, with one breeding between a male North American beaver and a female European resulting in one stillborn kit. These factors make interspecific breeding unlikely in areas where the two species' ranges overlap.
The Eurasian Beaver (''Castor fiber'') was nearly hunted to extinction in Europe, both for fur and for ''castoreum'', a secretion of its scent gland believed to have medicinal properties. However, the beaver is now being re-introduced throughout Europe. Several thousand live on the Elbe, the Rhone and in parts of Scandinavia. A thriving community lives in northeast Poland, and the Eurasian Beaver also returned to the Morava River banks in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. They have been reintroduced in Scotland (Knapdale), Bavaria, Austria, Netherlands, Serbia (Zasavica bog), Denmark (West Jutland) and Bulgaria and are spreading to new locations. The beaver became extinct in Great Britain in the sixteenth century: Giraldus Cambrensis reported in 1188 (''Itinerarium'' ii.iii) that it was to be found only in the Teifi in Wales and in one river in Scotland, though his observations are clearly second hand. In October 2005, six Eurasian beavers were reintroduced to Britain in Lower Mill Estate in Gloucestershire; in July 2007 a colony of four Eurasian beavers was established at Martin Mere in Lancashire, and a trial re-introduction occurred in Scotland in May 2009. Feasibility studies for a reintroduction to Wales are at an advanced stage and a preliminary study for a reintroduction of beavers to the wild in England has recently been published.
The North American beaver's preferred food is the water-lily (''Nuphar luteum''), which bears a resemblance to a cabbage-stalk, and grows at the bottom of lakes and rivers. Beavers also gnaw the bark of birch, poplar, and willow trees; but during the summer a more varied herbage, with the addition of berries, is consumed. These animals are often trapped for their fur. During the early 19th century, trapping eliminated this animal from large portions of its original range. However, through trap and transfer and habitat conservation it made a nearly complete recovery by the 1940s. Beaver reintroduction in British Columbia was facilitated by Eric Collier as recounted in his book ''Three Against the Wilderness.'' Beaver furs were used to make clothing and top-hats. Much of the early exploration of North America was driven by the quest for this animal's fur. Native peoples and early settlers also ate this animal's meat. The current beaver population has been estimated to be 10 to 15 million; one estimate claims that there may at one time have been as many as 90 million.
The beaver works as a keystone species in an ecosystem by creating wetlands that are used by many other species. Next to humans, no other extant animal appears to do more to shape its landscape.
Beavers fell trees for several reasons. They fell large mature trees, usually in strategic locations, to form the basis of a dam, but European beavers tend to use small diameter (<10 cm) trees for this purpose. Beavers fell small trees, especially young second-growth trees, for food. Broadleaved trees re-grow as a coppice, providing easy-to-reach stems and leaves for food in subsequent years. Ponds created by beavers can also kill some tree species by drowning but this creates standing dead wood, which is very important for a wide range of animals and plants.
==== Lodges ====
The ponds created by well-maintained dams help isolate the beavers' homes, their ''lodges'', which are created from severed branches and mud. The beavers cover their lodges late every autumn with fresh mud, which freezes when the frost sets in. The mud becomes almost as hard as stone, and neither wolves nor wolverines can penetrate it.
The lodge has underwater entrances to make entry nearly impossible for any other animal (however, muskrats have been seen living inside beaver lodges with the beavers who made them). A very small amount of the lodge is actually used as a living area. Contrary to popular belief, beavers actually dig out their dens with underwater entrances after they finish building the dams and lodge structures. There are typically two dens within the lodge, one for drying off after exiting the water, and another, drier one where the family actually lives. Beaver houses are formed of the same materials as the dams, with little order or regularity of structure, and seldom contain more than four adult and six or eight young beavers. Some of the larger houses have one or more partitions, but these are only posts of the main building left by the builders to support the roof, for the apartments usually have no communication with each other except by water.
When the ice breaks up in spring beavers always leave their embankments and rove about until just before fall, when they return to their old habitations and lay in their winter stock of wood. They seldom begin to repair the houses until the frost sets in, and never finish the outer coating until the cold becomes severe. When they erect a new habitation they fell the wood early in summer, but seldom begin building until nearly the end of August.
The term ‘beaver fever’ is a misnomer coined by the American press in the 1970s, following findings that the parasite Giardia lamblia, which causes Giardiasis, is carried by beavers. However, further research has shown that many animals and birds carry this parasite, and the major source of water contamination is by other humans. Norway has many beaver but has not historically had giardia and New Zealand has giardia but no beaver. Recent concerns point to domestic animals as a significant vector of giardia with young calves in dairy herds testing as high as 100% positive for giardia. In addition, fecal coliform and streptococci bacteria excreted into streams by grazing cattle have been shown to be reduced by beaver ponds, where the bacteria are trapped in bottom sediments.
In Chicago, several beavers have returned and made a home near the Lincoln Park's North Pond. The "Lincoln Park Beaver" has not been as well received by the Chicago Park District and the Lincoln Park Conservancy, which was concerned over damage to trees in the area. In March 2009, they hired an exterminator to remove a beaver family using live traps, and accidentally killed the mother when she got caught in a snare and drowned. Relocation costs $4,000-$4,500 per animal. Scott Garrow, District Wildlife Biologist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, opined that relocating the beavers may be "a waste of time", as there are records of beaver recolonizing North Pond in Lincoln Park in 1994, 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2009. As of fall 2009 a new beaver lodge has appeared on North Pond's northwest bank.
Outside San Francisco, in downtown Martinez, California, a male and female beaver arrived in Alhambra Creek in 2006. The Martinez beavers built a dam 30 feet wide and at one time 6 feet high, and chewed through half the willows and other creekside landscaping the city planted as part of its $9.7 million 1999 flood-improvement project. When the City Council wanted to remove the beavers because of fears of flooding, local residents organized to protect them, forming an organization called "Worth a Dam". Resolution included installing a pipe through the beaver dam so that the pond's water level could not become excessive. Now protected, the beaver have transformed Alhambra Creek from a trickle into multiple dams and beaver ponds, which in turn, led to the return of steelhead trout and river otter in 2008, and mink in 2009. The Martinez beavers probably originated from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta which once held the largest concentration of beaver in North America.
In the 1940s, beavers were brought to the island of Tierra Del Fuego in southern Chile and Argentina, for commercial fur production. However, the project failed and the beavers, a few pairs, were released into the wild. Having no natural predators in their new environment, they quickly spread throughout the island, and to other islands in the region, reaching a number of 100,000 individuals within just 50 years. They are now considered a serious invasive species in the region, due to their massive destruction of forest trees, and efforts are being made for their eradication. The drastically different ecosystem has led to substantial environmental damage, as the ponds created by the beavers have no ecological purpose (wetlands do not form there as they do in the beavers' native territory) and there are no native, large predators. They have also been found to cross saltwater to islands northward; a possible encroachment on the mainland has naturalists highly concerned.
In contrast, areas with introduced beaver were associated with increased populations of native puye fish (''Galaxias maculatus''), whereas the exotic brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') and rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') had negative impacts on native stream fishes in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Chile.
Older offspring, which are around two years old, may also live in families and help their parents. In addition to helping build food caches and repairing the dam, two-year olds will also help in feeding, grooming and guarding younger offspring. While these helping two-year olds helps increase chance of survival for younger offspring, they are not essential for the family and two-year olds only stay and help their families if there is a shortage of resources in times of food shortage, high population density, or drought. When beavers leave their natal territories, they usually do not settle far. Beavers can recognize their kin by detecting differences in anal gland secretion composition using their keen sense of smell. Related beavers share more features in their anal gland secretion profile than unrelated beavers. Being able to recognize kin is important for beaver social behavior and it causes more tolerant behavior among neighboring beavers.
Much of the early European exploration and trade of Canada was based on the quest for beaver. The most valuable part of the beaver is its inner fur whose many minute barbs make it excellent for felting, especially for hats. In Canada a 'made beaver' or ''castor gras'' that an Indian had worn or slept on was more valuable than a fresh skin since this tended to wear off the outer guard hairs.
Others who have used the beaver in their company or organizational symbol or as their mascot include:
Category:Beavers Category:Fur trade Category:Mammals of North America
ar:قندس bn:বীভার bs:Dabar (životinja) br:Avank bg:Бобри ca:Castor cs:Bobr cy:Afanc da:Bæver de:Biber nv:Chaaʼ et:Kobras es:Castor eo:Kastoro fa:سگ آبی fr:Castor (genre) fy:Bevers ga:Béabhar gd:Los-leathann gl:Castor ko:비버 hsb:Bobr hr:Dabrovi id:Beaver is:Bjór (nagdýr) it:Castor (genere) he:בונה (בעל חיים) kk:Құндыздар sw:Biva la:Fiber lv:Bebri lt:Bebriniai hu:Castor (állatnem) ml:ബീവർ mn:Минж nl:Bevers (geslacht) cr:ᐊᒥᔅᒄ ja:ビーバー no:Bevere nn:Bever nrm:Bièvre mhr:Умдыр pl:Castor pt:Castor ro:Castor ru:Бобровые sc:Castoro sco:Beaver simple:Beaver cu:Бєбръ sl:Bober sr:Дабар fi:Majavat sv:Bävrar tl:Kastor ta:பீவர் chr:ᏙᏯ tr:Kunduz uk:Бобер vi:Hải ly zh:河狸This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Jackie Beat is the lead singer of the Electroclash band Dirty Sanchez. Beat is also a columnist for IN:LA magazine.
Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Drag queens Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
name | Austin Young |
---|---|
birth date | April 12, 1966 |
birth place | Reno, Nevada |
occupation | fine art photography Video artist Installation artist New media arts }} |
Young's most recent opening 'YOUR FACE HERE' took place on January 29, 2011 at Pop tART Gallery. This exhibition allowed Young to open his lens onto the public. Young established his art studio for a 5 week residency at Pop tART Gallery in Los Angeles. The public was invited to participate as the subject of the exhibition through the purchase of the pop cultural real estate of the gallery walls. The unveiling of Young's 'YOUR FACE HERE' portrait series took place March 12, 2011.
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Justin Beaver was named 2007 winner of the Gagliardi Trophy, named for John Gagliardi, for the outstanding player in the 2007 season of NCAA Division III Football. According to NCAA football statistics, Justin is 11th all-time in NCAA rushing, only a few yards behind Ron Dayne for 10th all-time.
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
He gained attention in the French media after performing a well-documented series of pranks, including a famous appearance disguised as a Lorient football player in the 2002 Coupe de France final match, during which he took part in the winner's celebrations and was even greeted by the then president of the French Republic Jacques Chirac. He is also an amateur football player and has posted videos of his unique skills.
Gaillard has appeared in several sport events, TV game shows and political rallies.
Gaillard's motto is ''C'est en faisant n'importe quoi qu'on devient n'importe qui'' ('It's by doing non-sense that we become someone.').
Most of Gaillard's videos are shot by his friend Grégory Lafargue.
Rémi shot his first sketch in 1999 with a friend in Montpellier. In 2001, he created an internet website, nimportequi.com.
He gained notoriety in 2002 at the finals of the Coupe de France. Disguised as an FC Lorient player, he celebrated the team's victory with the players, shook the hand of the then French President Jacques Chirac and signed autographs, without anyone realizing that he was not a player on the team.
Some of his most famous sketches are parodies of The Rocky Balboa movies, Mario Kart and his football videos.
In 2007, he gained the attention of journalists from Le Monde and was invited on a few talk shows..
On his official site, Gaillard claims over 1.1 billion views on his videos on the web.
Gaillard also appeared in Orangina, Pepsi, Durex and LG commercials.
Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:French television actors Category:Pranksters
br:Rémi Gaillard ca:Rémi Gaillard cs:Rémi Gaillard de:Rémi Gaillard es:Rémi Gaillard eu:Rémi Gaillard fr:Rémi Gaillard it:Rémi Gaillard hu:Rémi Gaillard nl:Rémi Gaillard ja:レミ・ガイヤール no:Rémi Gaillard pl:Rémi Gaillard pt:Rémi Gaillard ru:Гайяр, Реми sr:Реми Гајар fi:Rémi Gaillard sv:Rémi Gaillard tr:Rémi GaillardThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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