Scenic Sunday #69

I know this isn't the most scenic of scenic shots, but an interesting one, non-the-less. This is not just a tree that has been chopped down. This is the work of a beaver. You can see the huge chips that are on the ground around the stump. Beavers live throughout Ontario and most of North America. I am not sure of the exact number, but it is in the millions! They are the second largest species in the rodent family. Beavers cut down trees to build dams and lodges and to store them as food for the winter. This tree was likely cut for food purposes since all the branches had been taken and only the trunk was left. Beavers are very active at this time of year, harvesting branches for their winter survival. The lake this tree watched over is a very deep one. It is part of the Trent System. I doubt if any of the branches were used to build a dam, but they could have contributed to building a lodge. Beavers spend the winter in the lodges and need water to be deep enough for them to be able to swim out from under the lodge and swim to find their food cache. Ice can reach a thickness of 3 or 4 feet, so the water levels have to be higher than this.

Family: Castoridea. Genus: Castor. Species: C. canadensis.

Common Name: Beaver

To see more of Scenic Sunday just click on the link below.