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  • Beavers are vegetarians.

  • They gnaw through bark to eat the sugary layer underneath.

  • They've been gnawing through forests for 20 million years.

  • Felling trees with your teeth takes great strength, skill, and patience.

  • One technique is to slice halfway through and let the wind do the rest.

  • The beavers' incisors are strengthened with iron, which makes them orange.

  • They grow continuously and even self-sharpen.

  • The pond makes it easier to move around the heavy logs they need to build their dams.

  • Out of the water, it's a struggle.

  • Stones help weigh down the base.

  • The whole family works together, carefully interlocking the timber.

  • They dredge mud from the pond bottom to seal the dam.

  • Each pond traps several inches of sediment every year so there's plenty of it.

  • The young act as apprentice builders, learning the tricks of the trade.

  • The final results are impressive.

  • In the Rocky Mountains beaver dams slowly filter billions of tons of water.

  • The ponds build up soil and nutrients and help prevent floods and droughts.

  • (Leave it to Beavers, Wednesday, May, 8/7c on PBS)

Beavers are vegetarians.

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