When a river flows and the currents rage rapidly, lapping at the muddy forest floors… there is only one hero who could dam it. The unlikely vigilante… a rodent with long teeth and a flapping tail… nature’s best friend and the trees’ nemesis.
The beaver.
There are reported to be 2.17 million species on Earth alone, according to Our World in Data. But the mysterious and resilient beaver remains the victor of the forest; no other animal can compare.
Beavers are essential to the balance of the ecosystem, especially to fish such as trout and salmon. The wooden dams that they proudly construct allow for cold water to pool for the fish to enjoy on the hottest of summer days.
But how does the water stay cool? Is it because of the shading of trees and plants?
Yes, but beavers lie at the center of the puzzle.
Their storing of groundwater from their dams allows for vegetation to grow and thrive from the surplus of water. This cooling of the water now flows downstream, chilling off other water pools filled with fish battling against the sun’s scorching rays.
From beavers building dams, it has increased positive effects on the environment. Their dams allow for waterways to shift their paths, and many animals use this water to make their homes by.
According to One Earth, “The riparian zone, or area between the river and land, sees an increase of over 33 percent in the number of herbaceous plants near beaver dams. This feeds the surrounding wildlife, and humans have used these herbs in cooking and medicine for hundreds of years.”
Water quality is significantly improved when it flows through a beaver’s dam. When water passes through, pollutants that had been in the water are unable to pass the dam. This way, the water is refreshed from passing through the soil in the dams, leaving it full of nutrients and minerals.
Beavers are not only important to the environment for cleaning the rivers of pollutants, but they are also impressive with their skill levels.
When beavers bite trees down, how do they not get crushed by the trees? It seems as if they know where the tree is going to fall, strategically moving around the logs.
Which is partially true, beavers use the delicate sound of the tree’s movement to tell which way it will fall in order to avoid being crushed. That is why it is essential for us to remain calm and quiet when we see a wild beaver biting on a tree.
Beavers remain to be the unlikely hero of the woods. They are the superior rodent above all others, such as capybaras, guinea pigs, and squirrels. Not just this, they triumph the rest of the woodland critters and they protect our rivers and flowing water.
Next time you see a beaver wandering along the woods, take off your hat and bow to the forest floor critter because now you know that that beaver is the monarch of the forest and you are in his territory. If you are driving along the road and see a beaver carrying his mighty sticks across, yield to him and let him continue his grueling journey. For a king works for the people, not himself.
