Description
The beaver is the largest North American rodent and its stocky, compact body is covered with rich brown fur. It has webbed hind feet and a broad and flattened scaly tail which is approximately 10 inches long and 6 inches wide. The average adult weighs 35 to 40 pounds and large beavers of 70 pounds have been reported. When they reach 2 1/2 years of age, they select mates for life.
Breeding takes place during the months of December and January. After a gestation period of 3 to 4 months, the young kits are born from March to May. The litter size varies from one to eight kits with two to four being common. Only one litter is born per year.
At about one month of age, the young beavers begin to follow their mothers to feeding areas. The young are driven out at about 2 years of age to start new colonies. A colony usually consists of five to seven beavers—two adults, two yearlings and two kits.