Eurasian Beaver: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Life in the Water · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. Eurasian beavers carry 48 chromosomes. Their North American cousins have only 40.
2. A Eurasian beaver's body is 80-100 cm long, plus a 25-50 cm tail, and it weighs around 11-30 kg.
3. Unlike most rodents, beaver pairs are monogamous and stay together for several breeding seasons.
4. Hunted almost to extinction, the Eurasian beaver went from about 1,200 animals in the early 1900s to 1.5 million by 2020.
5. Its wetlands give homes to water voles, otters and water shrews, and its dams help trout and salmon.

The quiz

1. How many chromosomes do Eurasian beavers carry?

• 48 (correct)
• 40
• 24
• 64

Eurasian beavers carry 48 chromosomes, North American ones only 40.

2. How long is a Eurasian beaver's tail?

• 5-10 cm
• 60-90 cm
• 100-150 cm
• 25-50 cm (correct)

Its tail measures 25-50 cm.

3. What is unusual about beaver pairs, for rodents?

• They split up right after mating
• They stay together for several breeding seasons (correct)
• Each male has many mates
• They only meet once every ten years

Unlike most rodents, beaver pairs are monogamous and stay together for several seasons.

4. How many beavers were there by 2020?

• 15,000
• 150,000
• 1.5 million (correct)
• 15 million

The population grew from about 1,200 to 1.5 million by 2020.

5. Which animals find homes in Eurasian beaver wetlands?

• Camels and scorpions
• Water voles, otters and water shrews (correct)
• Penguins and seals
• Parrots and monkeys

Beaver wetlands give homes to water voles, otters and water shrews.

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