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The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

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Re: The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

#21

Post by s0rce »

wellthisisgreat wrote: post #14
csours wrote: post #12

I live next to some urban Beavers. I really wonder about their genetics. Like do some of them leave to find another family to join? How do they do that in the city? Or are they genetically stable? Or is this family going to die out after a while? I've seen them swimming at sunset a few times. I think I saw one out of the water once, but I wasn't sure what I was looking at.

wow I had no idea urban beavers exist. I thought they are quite fragile creatures who require clean water and prefer relative peace and quiet.

They are recovering around the SF Bay Area

Re: The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

#22

Post by Eleison23 »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #7

This article is a writing expert trying to write about animals. Not an animal expert taking a crack at writing. If you are expecting information that gives you a better understanding of beavers and or their history or environmental niche look elsewhere.

No post body was provided.

Re: The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

#23

Post by FooBarBizBazz »

jongjong wrote: post #6

The Platypus is even weirder because it's part beaver, part duck, it lays eggs, produces milk, can detect electromagnetic fields... Also, males have a venomous claw on their back paws.

This made me ask, "since platypuses lay eggs, they must not have internal pregnancies, but if that's the case, then what causes them to start producing milk?", and I don't have an answer yet, but I did just learn that they don't have nipples and instead they just sort of "sweat" milk. (Also they have no sweat glands?)

Another relevant fact seems to be that they don't lay unfertilized eggs. So maybe they do have pregnancies of a sort.

Answers.com, not the best source (also not the worst), asserts [1]:

> Fertilised platypus eggs stay in the mother's body for around 28 days, although lack of research means this has not been determined definitively. The eggs are incubated by the mother curling around them and keeping them warm and dry in the chamber of the burrow for another 10 days.

I'm not sure I get the point of the egg if the majority of the pregnancy is internal anyway. Maybe evolution is just random.

[1] https://www.answers.com/Q/How_long_is_a_platypus_pregnant_fo...

Re: The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

#24

Post by RajT88 »

wellthisisgreat wrote: post #14
csours wrote: post #12

I live next to some urban Beavers. I really wonder about their genetics. Like do some of them leave to find another family to join? How do they do that in the city? Or are they genetically stable? Or is this family going to die out after a while? I've seen them swimming at sunset a few times. I think I saw one out of the water once, but I wasn't sure what I was looking at.

wow I had no idea urban beavers exist. I thought they are quite fragile creatures who require clean water and prefer relative peace and quiet.

Urban beavers are a thing in Illinois as well.

I see them sometimes in the ponds in office parks. Or in lakes in suburban parks.

I wouldn't be too shocked to learn they are living along the Chicago river.

Re: The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

#27

Post by kennend3 »

dreen wrote: post #13
SuoDuanDao wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fellow Canadian here - I only ever saw one quite far from beaver activity, apparently a young male striking out on his own. Otherwise I gather they hide in their dens when humans are about. I'm reminded of those Canadian Humorists the Arrogant worms' excellent prose: "you might think a rodent/ is a pretty lame choice/ for a national animal, but/ don't you listen to that voice Cuz all them birds and predators/ Just ta…

Do be careful around beavers though. Their teeth are REALLY strong, I know at least one example personally of a human killed by a beaver, it bit through a critical vein in his leg and the guy bled to death. To be fair the guy was a hunter so I guess karma.

I think your point should be expanded a bit.

Do not interact with wild animals in general. They are not pets, they are not domesticated and are unpredictable.

They can and will bite, often shockingly hard.

Re: The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

#28

Post by gnabgib »

kennend3 wrote: post #8

Living in the land of the Beaver (Canada - we have a Beaver on our 5 cent coin even) they are weird animals. I live near a nature trail with a river and you can find the results of there "work" everywhere - cut down trees and dams. Not many animals invest so much effort cutting down very large trees and creating dams. Lived here for 22 years, see their dams, and a LOT of "spikes" in the ground where small trees once…

Never? Probably depends on where you are in the country, but they're quite bountiful in the west. Even seen kits with their parents.

Re: The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

#29

Post by ljw1001 »

zdragnar wrote: post #4
badcppdev wrote: post #2

I know it's "lithub.com" and therefore I guess focused on writing but I find it frustrating that the article could not be bothered including a picture of a Beaver that showed what they were talking about. Although after finding a clear picture on Wikipedia I don't think they look that weird. But then again I grew up thinking that Platypi (Platypuses? Platypodes?) were normal :-D

The author's "weirdness" argument stems largely from the conjunction of similar features seemingly borrowed from unrelated animals, and the relative uniqueness of the beaver in doing so (the platypus is considered weird for the same reason, at least around here). I think the author really over-does it, though- the inclusion of "bear" is a long stretch; it really doesn't resemble a bear more than other similarly sized…

A human calling beavers destructive is ironic.

Re: The Deep Weirdness of Beavers

#30

Post by daniel-cussen »

kennend3 wrote: post #27
dreen wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do be careful around beavers though. Their teeth are REALLY strong, I know at least one example personally of a human killed by a beaver, it bit through a critical vein in his leg and the guy bled to death. To be fair the guy was a hunter so I guess karma.

I think your point should be expanded a bit. Do not interact with wild animals in general. They are not pets, they are not domesticated and are unpredictable. They can and will bite, often shockingly hard.

No post body was provided.
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