A wonderful creature the beaver-Time for Tea by Celia Klassen

A couple of weeks ago I posted on Facebook whether anyone knew when the American Falls High School mascot became the Beaver. We are the Beavers for obvious reasons, and presumably that puts the date after the dam. Unexpectedly, my post started a fair bit of controversy! Turns out, having a beaver as a mascot is not everyone’s favorite thing. Although the word became used in slang, that doesn’t mean it’s anything to be ashamed of. So, let’s get our minds out of the gutter and explore the wonderful animal and instill some pride back into our mascot.
I suppose you could go so far as to say that we have beavers to thank for having farmland and a town at all! Humans undoubtedly got their dam building ideas from the creature.
As a whole, I’m not overly fond of rodents, but a beaver would probably be my favorite one. They are the second-largest beaver, second to the capybara. This semi-aquatic creature has two species in existence, the North American beaver, and the Eurasian beaver. These species have different skull and tail shapes, and different colored fur but are both stout bodied with large heads and four noteworthy teeth. Their teeth never stop growing. They can look like they need a good brushing due to a thick enamel covering that is either orange or reddish-brown. Their lower incisors have roots almost as long as the lower jaw. None of that is particularly inspiring so let’s move onto the more amazing features of this animal.
Although they are semi-aquatic, they can’t breathe underwater. They can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes and can see under water thanks to a third eyelid protecting their eyes – although they can’t see as well as an otter under water and they don’t see well above water either. Their nostrils and ears have valves that close underwater, and they can close their lips behind the incisors enabling them to nibble things while no water comes into their mouths. There’s a whole new meaning behind “eat with your mouth closed”!
They essentially have hands and are able to carry things while walking on their hind feet. Their feet have webbing, and their back legs move alternately when walking on land or together when in the water. Their tail also has multiple functions, a balancer on land, and a rudder underwater. But another feature of the tail is to store fat for the winter. Another amazing, unique feature of the beaver’s anatomy is that their heart rate decreases by half when they dive, giving most of the blood flow to their brain. They can also replace 75 percent of the air in their lungs in one breath. By comparison humans only replace about 15 percent.
Beavers are considered a keystone species which is the term used to describe a species that has a disproportionately large effect on the environment compared to the number of animals in their species. They maintain the structure of an ecological community affecting the ecosystem and thereby determining the types and numbers of other species nearby. For the beaver, this is because of their dam building and its effects on the environment. They build dams and lodges using tree branches, vegetation, rocks and mud. Their first effect on the environment is cutting down trees with those noteworthy front teeth. Then as they build their dam, they create a wetland which supports many other creatures. They eat the fresh leaves off the trees they cut down as well as aquatic plants that grow in the ponds they create, grasses and sedges.
Adult beavers live monogamously with their offspring. After their first year, the young help repair dams and lodges, and older offspring also help raise newly born offspring. A less cute feature is that they hold territories which they mark using scent mounds. These are made of debris, mud and a liquid substance excreted through the beaver’s urethra-based castor sacs, known as castoreum. They are also more likely to tolerate relatives as neighbors and can tell who their relatives are by their anal gland secretions.
Beavers brought trappers to this area long before a thought of a town or dam existed. They were trapped for their fur, meat and even the castoreum. Castoreum, found in sacs located between the pelvis and base of its tail, was used in perfume and medicine and even food flavoring. (Excuse me while I gag). While the beaver uses their castoreum to make their fur and tail more water-resistant, they also mix it with urine when marking their territory. Castoreum is tar-like with a strong, musky odor that the food industry finds useful in flavoring. When diluted in alcohol it has more pleasant, fruity notes. It was first used in flavorings in the early 20th century, particularly for vanilla and fruit blends in chewing gum. Its use declined in the 1980s, probably when people found out where it came from. It isn’t listed on food labels and is only used in tiny amounts so although it’s unlikely you’ve ingested it by accident, you might have! I think I’ll stick to my homemade vanilla or vanilla beans soaked in vodka just to be sure.
And so you see, a beaver mascot is nothing to be ashamed of! The dam in our town is of huge importance; the mascot reflects that and besides it symbolizes industriousness. If Canada can own it as their national animal, we can own it as our mascot, and do it proud.