• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Mammal Society

The Mammal Society

For Evidence Based Conservation

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

 

  • About Us
    • What We Do
    • News
      • Media Information & Press Releases
        • FAQs
    • Meet The Team
  • Science
    • Current Research
      • National Otter Survey
      • National Harvest Mouse Survey
      • How Do Dogs Affect UK Wildlife?
      • The Red Squirrel Acoustic Monitoring Project
      • The Volunteer Mountain Hare Survey
      • Plastics in Mammals
      • WATER VOLE RESEARCH PROJECT
      • Red List for Britain’s Mammals
      • All Surveys and Projects
    • Publications
      • Mammal Review
      • Mammal Communications
      • Mammal News Magazine
      • Books and equipment
    • Ecostat
      • Ecobat
      • Ecobat Troubleshooting
      • Count Bat
    • Position Statements
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Training
  • Mammals
    • UK Mammal List
    • Discover Mammals
    • Whose poo?
    • How To Record Mammals
    • Mammal Mapper
    • County Mammal Recorders
  • Blogs
    • Blog collection
    • BBC Blog Series
  • Get Involved
    • Students
    • University Mammal Challenge (UMAC): 2021-2022
    • Surveys and Projects
    • Local Groups
    • School Resources
    • National Mammal Week
    • Mammal Photographer of the Year (MPOY)
  • Support Us
  • Donate
  • Join

Species – Eurasian beaver

Species – Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber)              

Taxon: Rodentia

Eurasian beaver © Bob Iles
Eurasian Beaver Red List Classification:
GB: Endangered  
England: Critical
Scotland:Endangered
Wales: N/A
Global: Least Concern
 
General fact sheet (click to download)
 

Habitat: Woodland, slow moving river valley bottoms, floodplains.

Description: Large rodent with robust body, short neck and limbs. Large, flattened, scale-covered tail. Webbed hindfeet. Distinct from smaller coypu and muskrat due to shape of tail. Large incisor teeth covered in orange enamel.

Size: 74-90cm; tail length 28.5-38cm; hindfeet length 16-18cm.

Weight: 12.5-38kg

Lifespan: Average lifespan 7-8 years, can be up to 25 years.

Origin and distribution: Once deemed extinct in Great Britain but there have been reintroductions in certain areas including Scotland, Devon, Cornwall and Kent.

Diet: Rhizomes, pond weeds, grasses, water lilies, ferns and leaves in summer. Bark from aspen, willow, poplar and alder in winter. Caches food on bottom of watercourse near lodge in winter in harsh environments.

General Ecology: Tend to use natural holes or burrow into the bank. Entrance below water level, leading to a nest chamber. Bank burrows normally 1.5-2m high above the entrance. When burrows and bank lodges are unavailable true lodges are constructed entirely from woody debris, soil and twigs.

Small family groups comprise of a monogamous adult pair, young-of-year and sometimes young of the previous year. Group sizes increase with population density. Territory size varies with habitat, density and season. Generally 3km but can vary from 0.5-12.8km.

Predators in Europe include wolves, wolverine, lynx and red fox.

Breeding: Monogamous breeding takes place between December and April. Pregnancy lasts 103-108 days. Litter size between 1-6 young between May and June. Individuals are sexually mature at 2 years old, but unlikely to breed successfully until they reach 3 years old.

Conservation Status: The Eurasian beaver is deemed by the IUCN as endangered in Scotland and not assessed in the rest of Great Britain. Since the recent reintroductions the population numbers are rising with the Mammal Society’s study in 2018 indicating there are now 168 individuals. Current threats are due to socio-economic interests as beavers can drastically alter the rivers they live in, which can result in land belonging to farmers flooding and causing crops to fail.

Primary Sidebar

Our New Clothing Range

Support our research and campaigns

Shop Today

Our Latest Appeal

Help Our Appeal

New study reveals impact of plastic on small mammals, as four out of seven species identified as ‘plastic positive’

More News

Latest Tweets

Tweets by Mammal_Society

Get Our e-Bulletin

Includes the latest news and updates from Mammal Society!

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

cj-wildlife-logo

Footer

  • Contact Us
  • Vacancies
  • Position Statements
  • AGM, Reports and Accounts
  • Data Protection
  • Privacy Policy
  • GDPR Information
  • GDPR Opt In

Sponsors

cj-wildlife-logo



Copyright © 2022 The Mammal Society, Black Horse Cottage, 33 Milton Abbas, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 0BL .... Registered Company No. 1455136 Charity No. 278918
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
Design by Fingerprint Digital Media