THE BEAVER AND OTTER.
These two very important fur-bearing animals were once quite numerous
throughout practically the whole of the United States and Canada, but
because of the persistency with which they were hunted, have become rare
in many of the sections where they were once found in abundance.
Especially is this true of the beaver. Almost all of the states in which
beavers are still found, as well as the various provinces of Canada,
have made laws to protect these animals, but they are still hunted and
trapped, and the day is not far distant when the beaver will be extinct.
The otter is a more wary animal than the beaver, and as a consequence
will linger within the bounds of civilization long after the beaver has
disappeared, but for all this they are becoming very rare in most of the
settled sections. As these animals both belong to different orders and
their habits are entirely different, it will be necessary to take up
each separately.
THE BEAVER.--As before mentioned, the beaver has become extinct in many
sections where it was once found, and at present they are practically
confined to Canada, Alaska, the Northern States and the Western mountain
regions. A few are still found in the more isolated portions of the
South, but there they are quite rare except in a few small sections.
Thruout the Central and many of the Eastern and Southern States, they
have entirely disappeared. There is only one species of the beaver, but
there are several varieties, all of which are very much alike in
appearance and the habits of all are the same, except where it is
changed because of difference in food, climate, etc.
The beaver has always been an interesting animal, not only to those
directly interested in furs, but to all others, and practically
everybody knows something regarding the habits of the animal. One of
their most remarkable habits is that of building dams on the stream, or
at the outlet of the pond or lake on which they are located. These dams
are intended to regulate the height of the water. They will vary from
two to five feet in height, and from twenty to one hundred yards in
length, according to the size of the stream and the nature of the
shores.
The dams are composed of sticks and chunks of wood, stones, sods, etc.
They always watch the dam closely and keep it in repair, and each fall
it is strengthened by adding new material. In addition to the main dam
there are, as a rule, one or more smaller dams built lower down stream.
What these small dams are for is not known for a certainty, but
sometimes, when the lower dam backs the water up to the large one, the
beavers will, in the fall after the ice has formed, dig a passage
through the upper dam, which allows the water to fall and leaves an air
space between the water and the ice, and it is perhaps for this reason
that the smaller dams are constructed.
Somewhere on the edge of the pool where the water is not too deep, the
beavers make their lodge, or house. These houses sometimes rise eight
feet above the water and will measure fifteen feet in diameter. They are
constructed of the same materials as used for the dam, and are always
repaired and strengthened before freezing weather comes. There are two
entrances to the house and they are always located deep under water.
The food of the beaver consists principally of bark of poplar, birch,
willow, cottonwood, alder and wild cherry. They are also fond of the
roots of the water lily. In the South it is said that they quite often
feed on corn, when located near the farms. They would doubtless eat many
kinds of roots and vegetables if same could be procured. In some few
sections, where the nature of the stream is such that houses and dams
are not a success, the beavers live in holes in the bank of the stream
and are called "bank beavers"; however, they are the same variety as the
house building kind.
In the Northern districts, where the ponds are covered with ice six
months of the year, the beavers spend the entire winter under the ice.
For this long period of imprisonment they must lay up a large store of
food. This food consists of small, green saplings and brush, cut into
suitable lengths and stored under water, in front of the house. They eat
only the bark and the peeled sticks are used to repair the house and
dam. The young beavers are born in April and May and there are usually
only two at a birth, but sometimes there will be three. These young
animals remain two years with the parents, so that a full family will
consist of the two old ones, two or three medium size and two or three
small beavers. However, there are "bachelor beavers", old males who
always live alone, and have a small house somewhere along the shore of a
stream or pond.
It was the beaver that was most sought by the early trappers, for the
fur was more in demand than the fur of any other animal. At present it
is not as popular as in days of old, but we do not believe that its
value will decrease, as the catch becomes lighter each succeeding year.
The skins do not become prime as early as those of some other animals,
but are in good condition in advance of the muskrat. The fur of the
beaver, otter, muskrat and bear remains in good condition until late in
the spring.
During the summer months many of the beavers travel about on the streams
and if a house is found at this time it may be deserted, or at the best,
only one or two animals will be found there. As fall approaches, they
all return to the lodge and from that time until the water is frozen
they will be hard at work laying up the winter's store of food.
THE OTTER.--The otter is occasionally met with in almost all parts of
North America, in some places fairly plentiful, in others very rare, but
they are found in greatest numbers in the swamps of some of the Southern
States, and in the wilder portions of Canada, Alaska and Newfoundland.
There are two species, the common otter and the sea otter, which latter
is only found in the North Pacific and is now quite rare. Of the common
otter there are some three or four varieties, differing only in size and
color. The habits of the otter are very little known by the average man,
and many of the trappers know little about this animal. They are
rambling animals, traveling the streams and lakes for great distances.
They will travel sometimes ten or fifteen miles to visit some certain
lake and perhaps will only stay there over night. Again, if undisturbed,
they may remain for a month or more on some small pond.
They are on very friendly terms with the beaver and will frequently
spend several weeks or months with a beaver family, apparently living in
the same house. If an otter knows the location of two or more families
of beavers, it will spend practically all of its time with one or other
of the beaver families, or may make frequent visits from one to the
other.
The otter is an exceedingly active animal and is so much at home in the
water that it is able to catch fish with ease, and they are its
principal food. Where fish are plentiful, they will kill them merely for
pleasure, and what they can not eat, they will store up in some little
bay or inlet along the shore. These, however, are not placed there for
future use, as the otter will only eat food that is strictly fresh.
Besides fish, they also eat large numbers of frogs, which are easily
secured. They also eat muskrats and sometimes surprise these animals by
coming up into the houses from below, thus preventing the inmates from
escaping.
The otter does not travel much on land, except when crossing country
from one lake or stream to another. Their bodies being long and their
legs short, walking is, for them, rather difficult and their mode of
locomotion is a series of plunging leaps. On the snow or ice they move
along rapidly by throwing themselves forward, sliding on their bellies.
They are very playful animals and sometimes amuse themselves by sliding
down a slippery bank. They also have landing places where they go to
roll in the leaves and grass. In the spring they often lay for hours on
some old log by the side of the stream, basking in the warm sun. They
can remain a long time under water, and in winter travel long distances
under the ice,--in fact, they prefer to travel this way whenever
possible.
The home of the otter is a burrow in the bank of a stream, the entrance
under water. At the end of the burrow is a nest lined with leaves and
grass. They also, sometimes, den in hollow logs and the trunks of hollow
trees. The dens are always located in the most secluded places, as far
as possible removed from danger of discovery. The young are born in
April or May and the number is from two to four.
With regard to raising the beaver and otter for profit, we will say that
there has been comparatively few attempts at the business and we are
unable to get any authentic data with regard to these experiments.
However, the animals do well in captivity, in zoos, and when kept by
private individuals, as pets, and it is our opinion that if one will but
go slowly and learn the habits and nature of the animals, a fair degree
of success may be attained. It should be understood that conditions must
be favorable and the animals should be given a range as nearly like
their natural home as possible. Of course, one could not make a success
of raising beavers in an open field. They must have wooded land where
their natural food, quaking aspen (sometimes poplar), birch, willow,
cottonwood, alder, is plentiful. A pool on some quiet little stream,
bordered by a large tract of forest, would be the proper place. Beavers
are not given to roaming, except during the summer months, and in such
cases they always return to their home before cold weather comes.
We believe that the animals could not be raised successfully by any of
the plans recommended for the rearing of other fur-bearing animals, but
should simply be placed in a large enclosure, in the proper location,
and allowed to take care of themselves. The animals will breed perfectly
without any attention and there will be no danger of them killing their
offspring, as is the case with other fur bearers. There is no doubt that
the beaver and the otter will do well in the same enclosure, for in the
wild state they are very sociable and are fond of one another's company.
If otters are kept in an enclosed pond, it will be necessary to keep
them supplied with food, and perhaps the best way would be to keep the
ponds stocked with live fish and frogs. With the beaver the matter of
providing food is more simple, as it will only be necessary to make the
enclosure where their natural food is found in abundance.