Beaver

Beaver 1
Originally uploaded by annkelliott

In Canada, the beaver population was almost wiped out by 1930, but conservation measures have since restored their numbers to relatively healthy levels.
Beavers have a well-developed social hierarchy in which the family is the basic unit, and the female the central figure in each family. The usual family group consists of the adults, the kits, and the yearlings of the previous year. The average size of the family is about 10 or 12 individuals. Adult weight varies between 15 and 35 kg with the average being about 20 kg.