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Photo: G. Bradley |
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UK
Safari Tip:
Get a better view of wildlife with these pocket-sized binoculars - click here
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Latin name: Castor fiber
Size: Approximately 90cms long. The tail is another 35cms long
Distribution: Extinct in the UK, but being re-introduced at enclosed
sites.
Food: Bark and shoots of trees. Also eats aquatic vegetation.
Habitat: Lakes, rivers and wooded areas.
Special features: The beaver was heavily hunted for it's pelt, and
combined with an increasing loss of habit, became extinct in the U.K. by around
the 16th century.
The European beaver can still be found in Russia, Scandinavia and the Rhone and
Elbe valleys. There are plans for trial re-introductions of the species back
into Scotland.
The beaver is nocturnal, and spends a lot of time in the water. The beavers
habit of felling trees to reach the tender shoots at the top makes them
unpopular with foresters.
In 2002 a group of nine beavers were re-introduced in England at Ham Fen, Kent. In October 2005 another six European beavers were released on an enclosed site in South
Cerney, Gloucestershire. More recently another population was set up at Martin Mere in
Lancashire, one in Devon, and there were two releases on private land in Scotland.
Did You Know?
Beavers were known by the native American people as the 'little people' because
of the human way in which they stand upright while feeding and grooming.
Beaver Dam Photo
UK Safari Mammal Section
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