Sunday, November 20, 2011

Little men of the Forest


 I took a walk along Antelope lake and discovered the beavers have been very busy chopping down trees and building under water homes.

 Mom used to call them Little Men of the Forest.


 Like people these rodents re engineer the landscape to their liking.
 They burrow into banks of lakes and rivers and build dams out of trees they have gnawed down with their strong teeth. These animals work, work, work, like little lumber jacks and builders to transform swamps and fields into large ponds that the little creatures thrive in.

 Their lodges are home to an extended family of monogamous parents, young kits and the yearlings born the previous spring.

 The lake is freezing over now. I'm sure this family of beavers will be cozy and warm in their homes all winter.

3 comments:

Paula said...

For rodents, they sure are cute! I know they can create alot of damage, but I love them! We have a kids book called Night in the North Country that Noah just loves because it has a beaver in it and the word dam that isn't naughty that way! LOL!

lisa said...

Great pictures of the little man. They sure can reak havic though.

Twisted Fencepost said...

I have seen a dam that was beaver built, but I've never seen a beaver or a tree they've gnawed on.
Have you seen that beaver dam that is visible from space? It is huge! They say it's about 40 yrs. old.