Building activity of beavers

Abstract

Observations on the building activity of European beavers, Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758, were carried out in two dissimilar lakelands in Poland to which beavers were being reintroduced from 1974 to 1985. Reintroduced beavers occupied 62 sites, and lodges were built in 76% of the sites. Several sites contained two or more lodges. Most lodges had a circular or oval base (83%) and a conical side view (85%). The size of lodges differed significantly (p = 0.051) between the two lakelands, with larger lodges at sites characterized by water scarcity. Beavers built lodges immediately after their settlement in 50% of sites, while in the other sites lodges appeared 1 - 8 years later. Lodge construction is frequently related with the first appearance of kits. In the study area beavers built 27 dams in 17 sites, apparently to improve water conditions and to get safe access to new stores of winter food. Dams usually were built without acoustic stimuli. Behaviour of reintroduced beavers suggest threat as their main motivation for any building activity.