Photo: Steve from Washington, DC, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
These engineering marvels dam streams with uncanny precision, creating wetlands that support entire ecosystems. Spotting one requires patience and early-morning or dusk commitment, but watching a beaver at work—felling trees, dragging branches, maintaining their lodge—reveals nature's most industrious architect.
Stay safe
Maintain 25-yard distance. Never approach lodges, dams, or active beavers. Do not feed. Observe quietly and patiently; sudden movements or noise will send them underwater. Keep children close in wetland areas.
🦊 Species ID card
- Identifying features
- Large stocky rodent (30–70 lbs) with glossy dark-brown fur, flat paddle-shaped tail, prominent orange incisors, webbed hind feet, and small ears. Largest North American rodent after porcupine.
👀 Where & when to see them in Acadia National Park
Where to look
Freshwater ponds and lakes including Eagle Lake, Echo Lake, Jordan Pond, and Long Pond. Look for dams, lodges (cone-shaped mounds of sticks), and freshly gnawed trees along shorelines.
