North American beaver

North American Beaver (Castor canadensis)

The Canadian beaver or American beaver (Castor canadensis) belongs to the genus beaver (Castor ) from the order of rodents ( Rodentia ). He is closely related to the European beaver (Castor fiber) and some zoologists consider both subspecies only a kind However, he is usually bigger and he has 40 chromosomes, while the European beaver has 48.

The Canadian beaver is the national animal of Canada and depicted on the Canadian five- cent coin. Nevertheless, he is considered in some parts of Canada as a pest.

Occurrence

The Canadian beaver was originally across Canada with the exception of northern areas, distributed throughout the United States with the exception of Nevada, the major part of Florida, the North of California and some surrounding dry areas. In addition, it occurred in a narrow strip in northern Mexico, where he is as good as extinct. Also, in some parts of the U.S., for example in large parts of Delaware, east of Massachusetts or the western half of Ohio, he is now extinct. In total 15 out of 49 states in the USA where he felt originally, there was mainly due to excessive hunting no more beavers. Today he is represented by natural propagation and reintroduction in all states in which he seemed initially, at least in smaller populations again. The IUCN therefore classifies it as safely.

Through a settlement of Canadian beavers in Tierra del Fuego in 1946 with the aim of fur use it due to lack of predators came to a rapid spread of the beaver in this area.

In addition, the Canadian beaver comes through resettlement in Europe today in parts of Finland as well as in Kamchatka ago.

Way of life

The lifestyle of the Canadian beaver is not very different from that of the European beaver.

Beaver and human

During the period of colonization by the Europeans beaver hair ( Kastorhüte ) and beaver fur quickly became a sought-after commodity. About 200,000 beaver pelts were exported annually to Europe at the height of the beaver fur trade. Around 1900 then went to the trade in beaver pelts sharply, not only because beavers came somewhat out of fashion, but because there were fewer animals in North America. In many areas of North America, there were in the first half of the 20th century no more beaver populations.

It was not until around 1930 slowly began to rethink Canada. The beaver hunting was banned for many years and the stocks recovered their poise. There were beavers in regions of Canada, where they were exterminated, resettled, making it almost anywhere in Canada today again a healthy beaver population, which is also hunted.

In many parts of Canada are due to the sparse population only a few conflicts with humans. But where it is a nuisance to man through the cases and gnawing of trees, as well as dams, one does not shy away from a fight.