Beavers, as everybody knows, are born to build. Their dams are famous (some would say infamous), and their logging techniques are skillful and precise. But as talented an engineer as the beaver is, he's not interested merely in the artistry of his structures. His dams create a beaver-friendly living environment, and his sturdy, comfortable lodges house large families of a dozen or more children who live and work together in harmony.
All beaver life revolves around the family, and beaver dads - obviously highly evolved males - take a very active part in that life. They are devoted life-long mates and loving, nurturing fathers.
Since their lodge door is underwater, naturalists haven't had much opportunity to observe beaver home life up close and personal. Dorothy Richards, coauthor of Beaversprite: My Years Building an Animal Sanctuary, was able to watch the behavior of her domesticated beavers, Hunk and Chunk, when the couple had two kits. She noted that Hunk, the father, stayed close to his mate throughout the birth.
But would wild beavers behave in the same way? Naturalist Francoise Patenaude's firsthand observation of a beaver family inside their lodge during the birth of new kits confirmed that they do. Patenaude watched the entire family prepare the lodge for the expected arrival - replastering the walls and smoothing off sharp branches, and covering the floor with fresh grass. During the birth, the father and a yearling stood around the mother, protecting the newborns.
Beavers are born precocial, that is, they are fully furred and "ready to go" within hours of birth. In nature, most precocial animals get little care and attention from their parents, since they are soon able to walk about and fend for themselves. But beaver kits remain in the lodge for about a month, though they can swim soon after birth. During this time all the adults and juveniles help with their care, taking turns babysitting while the others go out to work. Returning to the lodge, family members bring back fresh food for the kits.
The father, again, is a reliable and hard-working provider of food and fresh bedding for the newcomers. In as little as 10 days, the kits may begin to eat, and dad brings in a steady stream of grasses and branches for them to dine on.
Hope Ryden, who spent four years with a family of beavers on Lily Pond, speculates that beavers care for their kits for such a long time because the kits need to learn some highly specialized survival skills.
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