beaver: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 7, 2026

News •

Beavers boost environment more than predicted, study finds • Nov. 5, 2026, 1:14 AM ET (BBC)

Beaver pair has new home at animal sanctuary • Oct. 18, 2026, 2:13 AM ET (BBC)

Facts

Also Known As	Castor

Photos and Videos

American beaver

Cross-sectional illustration of a beaver lodge built from sticks and mud, showing labeled chambers for eating and nesting, with underwater entrances leading into the structure. A beaver (Castor canadensis) is resting inside, surrounded by water and forest.

Snow-capped mountains rise behind a dense evergreen forest and a reflective lake in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

A Eurasian beaver sits on a muddy, grassy shore surrounded by green plants in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany.

How new beaver dams might damage the environment

What is a trophic cascade?

Reviving the Eurasian beaver population

Follow a beaver family and its kits for a year in the Rocky Mountains and learn about their habits and habitat

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Topics

American beaver Eurasian beaver Why do beavers build dams?beaver dam beaver lodge Tail castoreum Castoroides

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