Keystone Species
In wetlands there are a large variety of animals keeping the ecosystem in proper condition, but there is one species that has the greatest impact; the beaver. Beavers are very well known for their flat tails and razor like teeth that never stop growing, yet what most people don’t know it that if there were no beavers there would be no wetlands. Beavers tend to find a mate at around three years of age, and both parents take care of their kids. The entire family works together to find resources and protect the young. They also build dams because these dams help raise the water level surrounding their lodge which provides protection for them and their food during winter. They normally do this in very shallow valleys where, as a result, the flooded area becomes a wetland and the shallower one becomes cleaner for human use. This also provides a safer habitat for the beaver and their young while keeping one of the world’s most valuable ecosystems alive and available for countless other species to live in.