The North American Beaver is the largest rodents inhabiting North American territories, another species of beaver is also found in some parts of Europe, called the Eurasian Beaver.
They are herbivores and generally prefer maple, willow and cherry trees amongst others, are non-hibernators, have a fur coating (usually brown in color) and a scaly flat tail. Being amongst the largest rodents in the world, they can even weigh over 25 kg. Beavers are distinctly known for their razor sharp teeth and their ability to construct dams, canals and complex structures. As they are semi aquatic in nature they tend to create their homes or lodges on standing water, usually in ponds. Where ponds do not preexist, beavers build dams. They use canals to transport their building materials from place to place. Not only is the ability, but the pace at which the beaver builds is also to be remarked upon, beavers are very sociable and have strong family structures, they work together to complete any task with great finesse. These dams and lodges serve as protection against predators. Coyotes and wolves hunt for beavers.
Beavers rely greatly on their teeth for almost all activities. What is also noticeable is the orange color of their teeth, rather an orange coating. The difference in color comes from the fact that the front two teeth on the upper and lower jaws have a coating which contains iron which gives off the orange color due to oxidation. This enamel is much stronger than the whiter part of the rest of tooth. The orange side wears out slowly while the whiter does the contrary, giving the beaver sharp chisel like teeth, capable of effortlessly scrapping away layers of bark and pulp. The beavers jaw is also shaped to provide significant force onto the teeth. They gnaw on softer wood to sharpen and shape these primary cutters.
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