Dams are made from aspen, birch, or willow trees and mud. Beavers that live on flat places sometimes make waterways called canals so they can get heavy trees and branches to their lodge without using their teeth. A canal can be up to 1,000 feet long and 2 to 3 feet wide. Predators, Dangers, and Defense Humans are the main enemies for beavers everywhere. In the north, wolves are the main predator for the beaver.
Beavers are hard for an animal to kill because they can dodge into one of their plunge holes.
Sometimes a beaver will bite its enemy with its sharp teeth and drag their enemy to the water to drown. Sometimes a beaver will communicate with another beaver by making a scent post. A scent post is a hill made out of mud and grass. They communicate with them by putting musk-smelling oil from their castor glands on the hill. The smell attracts beavers and other animals.