Praising Castor Canadians
“He’s etched on our nickel, but
the beaver is considered one of the peskiest examples of Canadian wildlife. Ontario naturalist
Michael Runtz is determined to reverse that image with his new book. He spoke
with the National Post’s Sarah Boesveld…
Q: You plan to
argue beavers are ‘quite possibly the most important & powerful animals on
the planet’. Sell me.
A: …First off,
they transform habitats, they transform flowing water systems into still water
systems…when they transform it they also enrich the environment. These ponds
they create are gathering bowls for nutrients. Beavers are always dragging in
materials from the land, defecating in the water, & so on. Over the years,
the soil becomes quite rich with nutrients…They add incredible nutrients to the
water system, & these nutrients not only support lots of plants in the pond
itself but also downstream. They’re also incredibly important for retaining
water, which we know is becoming a scarce commodity. Studies have shown that in
terms of their effect of hydrology, beaver ponds help maintain water tables…
Q: What are some
hidden beaver talents?
A: They have the
most versatile tail of any animal in the world. It has 6 functions. They use it
for swimming as a rudder & sometimes for short bursts of speed. They use it
as a prop on land when they’re sitting up. They use it as a fat storage area in
winter… But when we see the beaver’s tail, we only see two thirds of it. The
basal two thirds is covered with hair & that’s where the fat storage occurs
for wintertime. It’s also used for air conditioning in the summer. And they use
their tail for communication- the famous tail flap. It makes an amazing sound.”
The Gazette, Montreal
April 22/2015
Cute Critter Pic
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