You're extremely lucky if you see a beaver in the wild, but beaver signs are much more common. Look for fallen trees near streams or ponds with wood chips bitten out in a deep circular groove near the tree's base. Beavers usually select small trees two to six inches in diameter, but occasionally fell ones as large as thirty-three inches thick. Beavers use these limbs as food and to construct dams or lodges. Other evidence includes mounds of mud, sticks, and leaves along streams and ponds where beavers deposit scent from their anal glands to mark territory.

Cool Links:

American Beaver - natural history, skull illustrations, range maps.  Part of the ATBI Discover Life in America site.

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right photo: NOAA