The North American beaver (Castor canadensis), also called the Canadian beaver (which is also the name of a subspecies), American beaver, or simply beaver in North America, is native to Canada, much of the United States and the states of Sonora and Chihuahua in northern Mexico.
This species was introduced to the Argentine and Chilean Tierra del Fuego, as well as Finland, France, Poland and Russia.

The North American beavers prefer the (inner) bark of aspen and poplar but will also take birch, maple, willow, alder, black cherry, red oak, beech, ash, hornbeam and occasionally pine and spruce.
They will also eat cattails, water lilies and other aquatic vegetation, especially in the early spring (and contrary to widespread belief, they do not eat fish).

These animals are often trapped for their fur.
During the early 19th century, trapping eliminated this animal from large portions of its original range.
Beaver furs were used to make clothing and top-hats.
Much of the early exploration of North America was driven by the quest for this animal's fur.

Native peoples and early settlers also ate this animal's meat.
The Federal Lacey Act was passed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1900 which forbade any take of wildlife or plants in violation of Indian, State or foreign law.
Through trap and transfer and habitat conservation, beavers made a nearly complete recovery by the 1940s.
The current beaver population has been estimated to be 10 to 15 million; one estimate claims there may have been at one time as many as 90 million.
The North American beaver (Castor canadensis), also called the Canadian beaver (which is also the name of a subspecies), American beaver, or simply beaver in North America, is native to Canada, much of the United States and the states of Sonora and Chihuahua in northern Mexico. This species was introduced to the Argentine and Chilean Tierra del Fuego, as well as Finland, France, Poland and Russia.
The North American beavers prefer the (inner) bark of aspen and poplar but will also take birch, maple, willow, alder, black cherry, red oak, beech, ash, hornbeam and occasionally pine and spruce. They will also eat cattails, water lilies and other aquatic vegetation, especially in the early spring (and contrary to widespread belief, they do not eat fish).
These animals are often trapped for their fur. During the early 19th century, trapping eliminated this animal from large portions of its original range. Beaver furs were used to make clothing and top-hats. Much of the early exploration of North America was driven by the quest for this animal's fur.
Native peoples and early settlers also ate this animal's meat. The Federal Lacey Act was passed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1900 which forbade any take of wildlife or plants in violation of Indian, State or foreign law. Through trap and transfer and habitat conservation, beavers made a nearly complete recovery by the 1940s.The current beaver population has been estimated to be 10 to 15 million; one estimate claims there may have been at one time as many as 90 million.
Beaver