Do Beavers have Families?

When you think of beavers, you probably think of them as animals that build dams, animals that are often the characters in cartoons and in children’s literature, or as animals that are a nuisance. However, very few people realize just how human-like beavers are…at least in their family structure.

Beavers have families that are eerily similar to humans. The center of a beaver’s universe is their home, called a dam, in which all their activities center on maintaining and improving that home. Beavers are monogamous and mate for life and usually live in family units that consist of the mother, the father and the children. However, some beavers live in communal lodges that house their extended relatives such as siblings and their offspring. The beaver’s babies stay in or near the parent’s dam for most of their lives. As juveniles, beavers spend most of their time honing social skills and learning how to build and repair dams from their parents.

Beavers are very territorial of the area the dam is located in. However, their aggression decreases as the security of their dam increases. In other words, when beavers have strong families and offspring they don’t mind living in closer proximity to other beaver families. When beavers are not worrying about safety and building on their dam, they enjoy playing and catching food in and near the lakes where they live.

Does any of this sound familiar? Beavers are very interesting to study because of the similarities they have to our own social structure. This makes their threat of extinction even more troubling. Beavers face extinction from two sources. The first source is the drying up and contamination of local water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers. The second threat to beavers is humans. Beavers can be a huge nuisance and they are known for causing trouble for home owners. Instead of removing beavers properly, most people try poisoning them or killing them outright. This is not the proper way to deal with a beaver infestation.

To get rid of beavers, you should either call a professional to remove them for you or trap them or relocate them yourself. To learn more about beavers visit the University of Kansas’ website here.