According to historical documents, a beaver appeared in Asia, from where it later spread to the forest-meadow territories of Europe. To date, beavers live in the Scandinavian countries, in Germany, Poland, in the European part of Russia, Belarus, Northwest China, and, of course, in Canada.
The river beaver, which lives near the river banks with a slow current, digs a hole on the shore, but the entrance to the dwelling is under water. Also, beavers build dams, thereby forming creeks. Around these creeks they build their huts. Beavers build their huts from the branches. These houses have several entrances, one of which is surely under water.
In the autumn, before the onset of cold weather, beavers strengthen their dwelling. In winter, they rarely get out of their holes, so they make large fodder reserves and insulate the huts with clay. Families of beavers consist of 5-6 individuals.
In general, beavers prefer to settle near small and slowly flowing rivers, forest lakes. They avoid large water bodies. These rodents perfectly swim and dive. Beavers can swim under water for about 15 minutes and overcome during this time up to 750 m.
