This is evidence that beavers have been visiting Oliver’s Woods!
You can tell by the ends of the logs that a beaver has been gnawing on them. Nick Czaplewski, recently retired mammologist from the Sam Noble Museum, has never seen a beaver do such short cuts on one log. He speculates that there is little of its preferred tree species or that it just needed to wear down its growing teeth. A beaver's teeth grow continuously, so they NEED to chew on wood! Beavers also have long, strong claws used for digging and twisting small twigs off of trees.
The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is common in Oklahoma. The beaver is the largest rodent in North America. They live near inhabitants of a semiaquatic life, meaning they inhabit the land and water equally. Beavers are dark brown mammals with webbed hind feet to help them swim. They have scaly flat tails and big front teeth. Beavers are neither gentle nor aggressive. They often don't approach humans. You can coexist peacefully with these animals if you keep a distance between them and yourselves.
We love our furry creatures in Oliver’s Woods so keeping a distance from their homes is best. We hope to see more of our beaver friends in these areas.
written by Elise Wall, OU Environmental Studies student
May 2023
