THE BEAVER BUILDERS AND ARCHITECTS
The works of nature are so superior in everything that their admirable diversity always offers us new reasons for admiration and pleasure, when learning about the life of different species of animals that inhabit the earth. This is how, below, an account is made of the life of beavers, small great builders of canals, reservoirs and dikes. They are semi-aquatic rodents measuring approx. 90cm long by 40cm high. They live in the cold regions of North America and Europe; they are located in rivers surrounded by forests and pines, maples, etc. Half of their body is almost always submerged in water, they have a brain mechanism to build and design their homes, without damaging nature.
They have very powerful teeth, they are capable of destroying trees with them, to arm their constructions. They do not harm the ecosystem by cutting down the forests, as their dams help control floods and create wetlands, removing pollutants from streams. With their hands and legs they can transport and handle the mud, stones or rocks for their magnificent constructions. Beavers are popularly known for having an incredible ability to build water channels, form reservoirs, and build levees. The entrances to their buildings or burrows always remain submerged in water. They make palisades along the buildings and then the internal part of their buildings is filled with clay or mud until they cover the last hole. Their homes are generally warm. These levees can be 10 to 12 feet wide at their foundations. Sometimes they build burrows in the land surface with channels for access to water. The works of beavers are very similar to the works of men. By the month of September, they gather their supplies of wood, stems, plant branches, and tree bark; They place the branches, the bark in a stacked or in a heap, so that when they need a piece of the desired size, they remove it easily. Their habits are generally nocturnal although they are sometimes seen working during the day. They build several cabins with rooms per number of inhabitants and make a kind of warehouse or warehouse where they store the tender products, for their ordinary food. The site and the food of each one is respected, there are no thefts. When they have finished their works or their shelters, they dedicate themselves to rest, to feed themselves and to the time of their loves. Animal society When they feel the danger, they warn with their tail giving strong blows and immediately they go into the water and can last within it for up to 15 minutes without breathing, then they come to the surface. Its coat is a kind of raincoat with layers of hair in some parts short and in other parts long, it is very desired for its skin. They can beget from one year of age. The lifespan of beavers is approximately 15 to 20 years. It is long-lived and monogamous, the female can give birth only once a year and can have from 2 to 4 young; they are born in spring and remain with their parents and siblings for up to a year, when they reach middle age. They spend autumn and winter together, enjoying themselves by going for a walk and collecting bark, whether dried or soaked in water.
They do not allow foreigners to settle in their enclosures. No matter how numerous the society of architect builders, there are no alterations, peace reigns. Their nursing homes are very safe for them and very neat. They cover the floor of their rooms with a green pine rug, on which there is never any excrement. They are very strict in the protection of their plots, they continually mark limits with a substance secreted by them that is very odorous. They build windows in their cabins where they can cool off and adapt it to bathe most of the day. Children always follow the method of their parents and never leave the circle that nature has given them. They act by instinct not by reflection. An active principle is the one that directs all your movements and all your actions. The lower parts of their bodies are almost always in the water like fish. Hence its smell. That of the anterior parts up to the kidneys, has the quality of the consistency of the meat of terrestrial animals and birds. The tail of the fish is considered as a portion of the fish attached to the body of a quadruped. They are incredible beings with extraordinary tools such as their 4 front teeth, their 2 hands, 2 legs and their scaly, broad and strong tail. The works of these architects and builders are wonderful, they work as a team and fill every observer with astonishment with their spectacular results, such as their buildings.
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Gabriel Ricardo Morales Fallon