Natural lumberjacks, beavers have great impact on their environment as they fell trees to build their dams and lodges. Their constructions block water flow and flood the surrounding area, creating wetlands that rapidly become biodiversity hotspots. The beavers use the resulting deep, slow-moving water as predator protection and for floating food and building materials along. There are two beaver species, one native to North America and the other to Europe and Asia. Beavers are the world's second-largest rodents after the capybara, with the European species slightly out-sizing its American cousin. Both species were once heavily hunted for their fur and scent glands.

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