1. Mating behavior:
- During the breeding season, male beavers actively search for receptive females. They vocalize, mark their territories with scent glands, and swim around to attract potential mates.
- When a male beaver finds a receptive female, they engage in a courtship ritual that includes mutual grooming, swimming together, and vocalizations.
2. Gestation period:
- After successful mating, the female beaver undergoes a gestation period that typically lasts around 3 months (approximately 105-115 days). During this time, she builds a special birthing chamber within the beaver lodge or burrow, which is lined with soft materials like grasses, leaves, and twigs.
3. Litter size:
- A beaver litter usually consists of 2-4 kits, but the number can vary from 1 to 7. The newborn kits are altricial, meaning they are born blind, hairless, and entirely dependent on their parents for survival.
4. Care and Growth:
- The female beaver nurses the kits inside the lodge, providing them with milk for nourishment. Both parents take turns caring for the young, bringing food and ensuring their safety.
- Beaver kits grow rapidly and begin to explore the surroundings outside the lodge within a few weeks. They learn swimming and foraging skills by observing and imitating their parents.
5. Colony Formation:
- Beaver kits typically stay with their parents and siblings until they reach sexual maturity, which usually occurs around 2 years of age. Then, they disperse and either join other colonies or establish their own new territories.
Beavers are known for their strong family bonds and cooperative social structures. The monogamous pair and their offspring form a close-knit colony that works together to build and maintain their habitat, raise the young, and defend their territory.