YouTube Video
Our featured beaver documentary of the week, embedded from YouTube.
The rodent on the nickel: Canada's national animal
No other country has put quite so much of its economic history on the back of a semi-aquatic rodent.
Consent test page — PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act). Canadian template: PIPEDA-aligned notice and consent handling.
Beaver facts
- The beaver was given official status as a symbol of Canada in 1975, and has been on the Canadian five-cent piece since 1937.
- The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is the second-largest rodent on Earth, after the capybara — adults typically weigh 16–30 kg.
- The transcontinental fur trade in beaver pelts drove much of the early European mapping of Canada, and the Hudson's Bay Company was founded on it in 1670.
- Castoreum is still occasionally used as a natural flavouring, which is why "natural vanilla flavour" has an unfortunate reputation it mostly doesn't deserve.
- Canada's beaver population has recovered to an estimated six to twelve million, from near-collapse at the height of the fur trade.
Services that require consent
Six third-party services, embedded the ordinary way. Blocking them before consent is the CMP's job.
Google Maps
Where the world's largest beaver dam sits, in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta.
Geolocation
Find beaver lodges and dams near you using your device location.
Google Analytics
Tells us which beaver facts you read to the end. Purely so we can write more of them.
Social Media Embed
The latest post from the beaver conservation community.
Live Chat
Ask our resident beaver expert a question. She answers mostly at dusk.