The North American Beaver (Castor canadensis), also called the American beaver or Canadian beaver, is one of two extant beaver species, the other being the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber). It is native to North America and introduced in South America (Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Finland and Karelia). In the United States and Canada, the species is often referred to simply as "beaver", though this causes some confusion because its range overlaps with another distantly related rodent, the mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa). The North American beaver is an official animal symbol of Canada and is the official state mammal of Oregon and New York.
Beavers, like the North American beaver, is famous for using wood obtained from cutting down trees to make a dam. These dams can block off the flow of rivers, forming a pond in which many other animals can live. Inside the pond, it makes a wood home called a lodge. The inside of the lodge is dry and can only be entered from underwater, preventing most predators from entering. Beavers also eat some of the wood they chop, so they always store several sticks beneath the water. When the pond freezes over in the winter, the beavers have an underwater food storage to bring into its lodge to eat.
Wolves, coyotes, bears, bobcats, cougars, lynx, wolverines, foxes, mink, and raptors These predators are most likely to kill beavers when they are foraging on land or migrating. Otters may also kill beaver kits, but adult beavers usually protect their young. Beavers are mostly nocturnal to avoid predators and can escape by hiding in deep water. They may also use their sense of smell to assess the risk of predation, and wolf urine may deter them.