Overview

Beavers can and do dramatically change the landscape. The beaver is a keystone species - their skills as foresters and engineers create and maintain ponds and wetlands that increase biodiversity, purify water and prevent large-scale flooding. Biologists have long studied their daily and seasonal routines, family structures and dispersal patterns. As human development encroaches into formerly wild areas, property owners and government authorities need new, non-lethal strategies for dealing with so-called nuisance beavers. At the same time, the complex behaviour of beavers intrigues visitors at parks and other wildlife viewing sites because it is relatively easy to observe. In an illustrated and comprehensive book on beaver biology and management, Dietland Muller-Schwarze and Lixing Sun gather a wealth of scientific knowledge about both the North American and Eurasian beaver species. ""The Beaver"" is designed to satisfy the curiosity and answer the questions of anyone with an interest in these animals, from students who enjoy watching beaver ponds at nature centres to homeowners who hope to protect their landscaping. Photographs taken by the authors document every aspect of beaver behaviour and biology, the variety of their constructions and the habitats that depend on their presence. Beaver facts: Just as individual beavers shape their immediate surroundings, so did the distribution of beavers across North America influence the paths of English and French explorers and traders. As a result of the fur trade, beavers were wiped out across large areas of the United States. Reintroduction efforts led to the widespread establishment of these resilient animals, and now they are found throughout North America, Europe, and parts of the southern hemisphere. Some beavers remain in the home lodge for an extra year to assist their parents in raising younger siblings. They feed, groom, and guard the newborn kits. In 1600, beaver ponds covered eleven percent of the upper Mississippi and Missouri Rivers' watershed above Thebes, Illinois. Restoring only 3 percent of the original wetlands might suffice to prevent catastrophic floods such as those in the early 1990s.

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9780801440984

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Reviews

"""The Beaver: Natural History of a Wetlands Engineer by Dietland Muller-Schwarze and Lixing Sun is a modern synthesis of the beaver's ecology. It is a pleasure to read. The prose is easy to follow, as is the logic, and the insights about the beaver's biology are enlightening. This book is most suitable for a broad audience and ought to enjoy a great following. For the technical reader there is a good reference section following each chapter, as there needs to be, since the book goes beyond natural history and also deals with contentious management issues. It is thus more than an introduction to an animal that played a very great role in the history of North America. This synthesis also poses challenges for the future. This book should not be missing from a wildlife manager's book shelf."" Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, The University of Calgary"" ""Among native North American mammals, none has had a more powerful influence on the history of North American than the beaver. Although the eclectic literature on the beaver is rich, it is scattered. This book is the first to provide a synthesis of that literature. . . . Muller-Schwarze and Sun discuss the biology of the beaver, its behavior, including building dams and canals, and population dynamics. . . . The authors' writing style makes this major resource accessible to any interested reader. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and a colored photo insert, the book is a necessary addition to the shelves of wildlife, conservation ecology, natural history, and general libraries. Summing Up: Essential."" Choice, January 2004"" ""Beavers are keystone animals who have played a large role in shaping the American biosphere. They also drew the American map by luring the trappers and mountainmen into the wilderness, and so promoting westward expansion. Although once nearly eradicated because of a frivolous fashion for men's hats, they are now making a dramatic comeback. Their behavior and ecology are perhaps more familiar than those of any other of our native mammal species, yet no comprehensive and up-to-date modern scientific treatise about the beaver has been available. This concise yet comprehensive book fills a glaring gap in the literature about one of the most interesting and important species in the northern ecosystem."" Bernd Heinrich, author of The Winter World."" ""Just about any topic pertaining to these animals is covered: fossils, diseases, scent marking, food selection, interactions with humans, how to make a beaver hat. There are many illustrations, both color and black-and-white. . . . Recommended for any public library, or school library grade level from middle school through college. Because of the wide coverage of topics and the list of references as a jumping-off point, should be helpful to ecologists, biologists, and wildlife and game managers of all kinds."" E-Streams, 6:12, December 2003"" ""The Beaver . . . is up-to-date, comprehensive, and especially useful for anyone researching beavers, from high school students to Ph.D.s. . . . It will also be especially helpful to wildlife managers, landowners, and others dealing with human-beaver conflicts. This book needed to be written and the authors have done an excellent job."" Wildlife Activist no. 48, Autumn 2003"" ""This book is a wonderful blend of natural and social history that satisfies all appetites in explaining the role and significance of beaver in contemporary landscapes. It is full of useful and relevant information about the return of nature's second best engineer and gives us a blueprint as to how we might work with these engaging animals to produce healthier and environmentally more sound environments, even in urban and suburban areas. I know of no better current source of information from which to learn about beaver and their ways as well as appreciate the complex history and relationship of people with these amazing animals."" John Hadidian, Director, Urban Wildlife Programs, The Humane Society of the United States"" ""This book takes a comprehensive look at the behavior, natural history, and ecology of the North American and Eurasian species of beaver . . . . For wild animal population managers, zoologists, and naturalists, this book presents practical advice regarding beaver management and shows how the species can be an important ally in the restoration efforts of the wetlands. An intriguing book that many will enjoy reading. Nicely done."" Northeastern Naturalist 10/4, 2003"" ""When I started this book I had high expectations. I would say they have been met and exceeded in some cases in the way the authors took the current research and laid it all out in a complete and easy-to-follow reference book to the beaver's history, morphology, impacts, and conservation."" David MacDougall, SWS Book Review"""

The Beaver: Natural History of a Wetlands Engineer by Dietland Muller-Schwarze and Lixing Sun is a modern synthesis of the beaver's ecology. It is a pleasure to read. The prose is easy to follow, as is the logic, and the insights about the beaver's biology are enlightening. This book is most suitable for a broad audience and ought to enjoy a great following. For the technical reader there is a good reference section following each chapter, as there needs to be, since the book goes beyond natural history and also deals with contentious management issues. It is thus more than an introduction to an animal that played a very great role in the history of North America. This synthesis also poses challenges for the future. This book should not be missing from a wildlife manager's book shelf. Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, The University of Calgary Among native North American mammals, none has had a more powerful influence on the history of North American than the beaver. Although the eclectic literature on the beaver is rich, it is scattered. This book is the first to provide a synthesis of that literature. . . . Muller-Schwarze and Sun discuss the biology of the beaver, its behavior, including building dams and canals, and population dynamics. . . . The authors' writing style makes this major resource accessible to any interested reader. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and a colored photo insert, the book is a necessary addition to the shelves of wildlife, conservation ecology, natural history, and general libraries. Summing Up: Essential. Choice, January 2004 Beavers are keystone animals who have played a large role in shaping the American biosphere. They also drew the American map by luring the trappers and mountainmen into the wilderness, and so promoting westward expansion. Although once nearly eradicated because of a frivolous fashion for men's hats, they are now making a dramatic comeback. Their behavior and ecology are perhaps more familiar than those of any other of our native mammal species, yet no comprehensive and up-to-date modern scientific treatise about the beaver has been available. This concise yet comprehensive book fills a glaring gap in the literature about one of the most interesting and important species in the northern ecosystem. Bernd Heinrich, author of The Winter World. Just about any topic pertaining to these animals is covered: fossils, diseases, scent marking, food selection, interactions with humans, how to make a beaver hat. There are many illustrations, both color and black-and-white. . . . Recommended for any public library, or school library grade level from middle school through college. Because of the wide coverage of topics and the list of references as a jumping-off point, should be helpful to ecologists, biologists, and wildlife and game managers of all kinds. E-Streams, 6:12, December 2003 The Beaver . . . is up-to-date, comprehensive, and especially useful for anyone researching beavers, from high school students to Ph.D.s. . . . It will also be especially helpful to wildlife managers, landowners, and others dealing with human-beaver conflicts. This book needed to be written and the authors have done an excellent job. Wildlife Activist no. 48, Autumn 2003 This book is a wonderful blend of natural and social history that satisfies all appetites in explaining the role and significance of beaver in contemporary landscapes. It is full of useful and relevant information about the return of nature's second best engineer and gives us a blueprint as to how we might work with these engaging animals to produce healthier and environmentally more sound environments, even in urban and suburban areas. I know of no better current source of information from which to learn about beaver and their ways as well as appreciate the complex history and relationship of people with these amazing animals. John Hadidian, Director, Urban Wildlife Programs, The Humane Society of the United States This book takes a comprehensive look at the behavior, natural history, and ecology of the North American and Eurasian species of beaver . . . . For wild animal population managers, zoologists, and naturalists, this book presents practical advice regarding beaver management and shows how the species can be an important ally in the restoration efforts of the wetlands. An intriguing book that many will enjoy reading. Nicely done. Northeastern Naturalist 10/4, 2003 When I started this book I had high expectations. I would say they have been met and exceeded in some cases in the way the authors took the current research and laid it all out in a complete and easy-to-follow reference book to the beaver's history, morphology, impacts, and conservation. David MacDougall, SWS Book Review

The Beaver: Natural History of a Wetlands Engineer by Dietland Muller-Schwarze and Lixing Sun is a modern synthesis of the beaver's ecology. It is a pleasure to read. The prose is easy to follow, as is the logic, and the insights about the beaver's biology are enlightening. This book is most suitable for a broad audience and ought to enjoy a great following. For the technical reader there is a good reference section following each chapter, as there needs to be, since the book goes beyond natural history and also deals with contentious management issues. It is thus more than an introduction to an animal that played a very great role in the history of North America. This synthesis also poses challenges for the future. This book should not be missing from a wildlife manager's book shelf. Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, The University of Calgary

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