Page 44 - Beavers: Skilful Dam Constructors

You must be
asking
yourself,
“What is this
pile of
branches in
the water for?”
This picture
shows the part
of a beaver’s
house, which
is above the
surface of the
water.

Mr. Beaver: The tunnel leads to an inside chamber.
We ensure that this chamber is above the water level.

Our family lives in this dry, secure chamber. Sometimes
we build two-storey houses, in which the entrance and
living room are on the first floor, and the dining room and
bedroom on the second. The houses we build have two
underwater entrances and a ventilation channel on the
top. In this way, besides being secure from exterior

dangers, we also live in comfort.

Karim: This is a marvellous thing. It does not appear
to have a lodge beneath; it looks as if it is merely a pile of
logs and branches. This is surely a remarkable

arrangement. I have another question: what is the depth
of this pond? From here it looks quite deep.

Mr. Beaver: It is sometimes as deep as 3 or 4
metres. Actually, we don’t need such deep water to build

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