Beavers maintain and defend territories, which are areas for feeding, nesting and mating.
They invest much energy in their territories, building their dams and becoming familiar with the area.
Beavers mark their territories by constructing scent mounts made of mud, debris and castoreum, a urine based substance excreted through the beavers castor sacs between the pelvis and base of the tail.
These scent mounts are established on the border of the territory.
Once a beaver detects another scent in its territory, finding the intruder takes priority, even over food.

Because they invest so much energy in their territories, beavers are intolerant of intruders and the holder of the territory is more likely to escalate an aggressive encounter.
These encounters are often violent.
To avoid such situations, a beaver marks its territory with as many scent mounds as possible, signaling to intruders that the territory holder has enough energy to maintain its territory and is thus able to put up a good defense.
As such, territories with more scent mounts are avoided more often than ones with fewer mounts.
Scent marking increases in August during the dispersal of yearlings, in an attempt to prevent them from intruding on territories.
Beavers also exhibit a behavior known as the "dear enemy effect".
A territory-holding beaver will investigate and become familiar with the scents of its neighbors.
As such they respond less aggressively to intrusions by their territorial neighbours than those made by non-territorial floaters or "strangers".

Occurrences of beaver aggression towards humans have been reported.
In April 2013, an angler, near Minkovichi in the Brest region of Belarus, died after being bitten twice on the leg by a wild Eurasian beaver.
Beavers maintain and defend territories, which are areas for feeding, nesting and mating. They invest much energy in their territories, building their dams and becoming familiar with the area. Beavers mark their territories by constructing scent mounts made of mud, debris and castoreum, a urine based substance excreted through the beavers castor sacs between the pelvis and base of the tail. These scent mounts are established on the border of the territory. Once a beaver detects another scent in its territory, finding the intruder takes priority, even over food.
Because they invest so much energy in their territories, beavers are intolerant of intruders and the holder of the territory is more likely to escalate an aggressive encounter. These encounters are often violent. To avoid such situations, a beaver marks its territory with as many scent mounds as possible, signaling to intruders that the territory holder has enough energy to maintain its territory and is thus able to put up a good defense. As such, territories with more scent mounts are avoided more often than ones with fewer mounts. Scent marking increases in August during the dispersal of yearlings, in an attempt to prevent them from intruding on territories. Beavers also exhibit a behavior known as the "dear enemy effect". A territory-holding beaver will investigate and become familiar with the scents of its neighbors. As such they respond less aggressively to intrusions by their territorial neighbours than those made by non-territorial floaters or "strangers".
Occurrences of beaver aggression towards humans have been reported. In April 2013, an angler, near Minkovichi in the Brest region of Belarus, died after being bitten twice on the leg by a wild Eurasian beaver.
Beaver