I always assumed that beaver were pretty smart and focused in their work. But today I found this and it made me wonder.
The tree is leaning and I was a little uncomfortable getting close to take the pic!
They’re SO smart they know how to make a “proper” back-cut when felling a tree? 
the height differences are because of snow , next time the beaver came out to have a bit of fresh munchie…it had snowed…all it saw was a nice bite to eat.
I remember watching a nature program in which a speaker playing sounds of running water were placed in the middle of a field. Beavers began slapping mud and sticks on the speaker.
@roym said:
the height differences are because of snow , next time the beaver came out to have a bit of fresh munchie…it had snowed…all it saw was a nice bite to eat.
Naw. He/she stood on the ground on one side and the log on the other side. Likely was distracted during first cut. They often work at night and are predator wary. I’ve found trees knawed through but not fallen that have “rebarked” the knaw area.This one didn’t rebark. Note the tree down behind. They take the big tree for the small limbs on top.
…….
. They are surprisingly resilient. These pictures are from Lake Price NC. Elev 3400.
I live on a 5 acre pond, well, maybe 40 yards from a large pond. Beavers literally moved into my backyard and began taking down trees and shrubs around the pond. I wrapped the trunks of the trees in my yard next to the pond with 2x4 welded wire fencing. A peaceful coexistence was achieved. Well, I drive home from work around midnight on a beautiful starry night but when I go to bed I hear rain falling on the leaves of the shrubs outside the master bedroom window. Starry night vs rain…I didn’t notice at the time. The next morning, outside the bedroom window, a 15 foot crepe myrtle tree is gone, numerous shrubs are gone, and even shrubs in the front of the house are missing large parts. What I heard was beavers gnawing on trees and/or shrubs. So much for peaceful coexistence.
Pretty darn smart. Far smarter than former VA neighbor with beaver pond on property who was a retired NASA engineer and very, very bright, capable and creative. Score ALWAYS favored the MIT mascot
Pretty smart… They know how to get landowners with shoreline in trouble. One guy got a citation by his Code Enforcement Officer for cutting too close to the shore ( required is 100 ft) . the COE never left the boat… … of course the landowner protested! And they build McBeavermansions too close to the shore too…
We don’t live direct waterfront… Yet one spring there was a 20 x 20 foot area virtually clearcut on our property. Even though it was 200 feet from water the beaver wanted THOSE trees and dragged them to the water and them swam them a quarter mile to add to their overadorned lodge.
@Andy said:
Pretty darn smart.
@kayamedic said:
Pretty smart…
That’s what I assumed because after all, they’re engineers…even if only civil engineers. 
@ScottFree said:
I remember watching a nature program in which a speaker playing sounds of running water were placed in the middle of a field. Beavers began slapping mud and sticks on the speaker.
So, smart but gullible, like most engineers. B)
@TomL said:
@Andy said:
Pretty darn smart.@kayamedic said:
Pretty smart…That’s what I assumed because after all, they’re engineers…even if only civil engineers.
@ScottFree said:
I remember watching a nature program in which a speaker playing sounds of running water were placed in the middle of a field. Beavers began slapping mud and sticks on the speaker.So, smart but gullible, like most engineers. B)
hmph… I have been married to a civil engineer for 50 years… He is pretty much a cynic.
Because he lives with a paddler?
@string said:
Because he lives with a paddler?
Huh? He is a paddler too. Still stuffs his old body into a Shenai or WildFire.
We’ve been married 49 years and I don’t have an old body. B)
At least one or two days a week.
Leave It To Those Sly As a Fox Beavers
“‘Civil’ Engneering!”
To hear the neighbors shout,
“They’ve drowned my lovely backyard in
dam damp design of doubt!”
Their stormwater management,
compiles behind conjecture,
botanicals were doomed to sink
in their school of landscape architecture."
"And apparently their surveys must
have eschewed the tree line,
as boundary of my fee simple hold
for they’ve stumped upon what’s mine
And should I take them into court
for latent littoral transgression,
I fear case will bog down so long
they’ll file for adverse possession.
@kayamedic said
hmph… I have been married to a civil engineer for 50 years… He is pretty much a cynic.
I seem to have no trouble being gullible and cynical too and I’m just kidding about civil engineers.
My impression was that beaver usually do nice, symmetric work without a lot of wasted nibbling but then I looked at another recent pic and was surprised to see an area that looks like wasted effort.
I think overstreet is right in that one beaver must have been standing on the fallen log.
Maybe they can afford some wasted nibbling given that they are such world class nibblers. They did all the work in the first pic in just 2 or 3 days which seems consistent with treea10’s story of losing a small tree in one night.
I wouldn’t want one mad at me.
@Sparky961 said:
They’re SO smart they know how to make a “proper” back-cut when felling a tree?
So much for the back-cut theory
It’s hard to tell which way a tree will fall when you are less than a foot tall.
Looks like a great book.
@TomL said:
So much for the back-cut theory
LOL… c’mon, give the poor guy (gal?) a break. Pretty good for a rodent!
Note: I am obligated to support these furry creatures, as they are (unfortunately, perhaps) the national symbol of Canada.