What Do Beavers Eat

Beavers are nocturnal and semi-aquatic animals that are native to North America and Eurasia. They are well known for building dams as homes. This post will tell you what beavers eat and then look at some interesting facts about beavers.

What do beavers eat?

Beavers are vegetarians (herbivores). They don’t eat any meat. The prefer to eat herbaceous plants, such as clover, raspberry canes and aquatic plants. They also enjoy eating bark, leaves and twigs of aspen and willow trees. Beavers also eat all sorts of grasses. The American beavers favorite food is the water lily.

Interesting Facts About Beavers

• Beavers can live for about 20-30 years in captivity. They usually survive for only 10 years in the wild due to predators.
• Baby beavers are called ‘kits’, ‘kittens’ or ‘pups’.
• Beavers often fell trees to help them build dams.
• There were once more than 60 million beavers in North America. The numbers have reduced significantly due to hunting for their fur and glands (used as medicine and perfume).
• Beavers had very bad eyesight, but they make up for it with excellent smell, touch and hearing.
• About half of all American Beavers have pale brown fur. 6% have black fur.
• The largest dam ever built by a beaver was 2,790 foot (850m) long.

Source: Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife