The Beaver

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chisel edge. With these can cut down large trees. It usually selects trees 5 to 20 cm (2 to 8 in) in diameter, but it can fell trees with diameters as large as 76 cm (30 in). Beavers have a pair of anal scent glands, called castors, that secrete a musklike substance called castoreum, probably for marking territories. The animals tend to be monogamous and may live 20 years or more. The female has one litter a year, usually of two to four young.
Beavers are social animals. In areas where food is abundant and the locality secluded, the number of families in a beaver community is rather large. The so-called beaver lodge is a unique structure. Three distinct kinds exist, their differences depending on whether they are built on islands, on the banks of ponds, or on the shores of lakes. The island lodge consists of a central chamber, with its floor a little above the level of the water, and with two entrances. One of these, the "wood entrance," is a straight incline rising from the ...

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