"BEAVER TOLERANCE"

 Beaver (North American) - 7 Photos

Beavers can be parents too. As a beaver lodge is a shared space, with most likely at least three to five family members of various ages and potentially other lodgers such as muskrats & mice, tolerance is probably a necessity of living within a confined dwelling during those cold Winter months.

I appreciate that the colder months are more of a downtime for beavers, during which they probably nap/sleep more often. However, no matter how dear my brother & his family are to me, I can't imagine being cooped up in a very small house together for those long Winter months, with no opportunity to escape from each other's company even for short periods. 

All young wildlife from an early age, make the journey to self-sufficiency as soon as time & growth permit. Beavers are no exception, learning basic skills from their older siblings & of course, their parents. And that includes how to find a meal along the shores of their pond, but it's much easier to hit Mum up while she is enjoying a freshly harvested branch and having a quiet moment.

There were actually three youngsters circling their mother but one being more independent swam off to find another venue. All three were most likely born this Spring.

One of the two remaining was definitely more of a "Mummy's beaver" and insisted on cozying up, beaver face to beaver face (Photo #2). 

And then it was a case of what's good for Mum is good for youngster (Photo #4). So a small beaver hand was placed on Mum for support in order to move in. And his/her mother's response was a definite "no" with a mother's hand pushing her offspring away (Photo #5). I've seen other mother beavers actually chase their offspring under the water under similar circumstances with no harm to either but a strong disciplinary action.

This was a much softer approach. Perhaps, it was because her offspring is at most 2 months old, with much to learn. You can definitely see the difference in sizes in Photo #7 . 

It certainly was a tender moment to watch with regard to beaver parenting. A definite "no nonsense" attitude but tempered with a soft hand.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7