Everything Else . Beavers make their complex domestic arrangements to improve security from predators and to move and store a reliable food supply. The ponds also improve security and must be deep enough for a family of beavers to swim under winter ice from their lodge to the hidden food. The dams are constructed by moving mud, stones, sticks and branches across a shallow stream.
Beavers use their forepaws to move mud and small stones from the stream bottom to the dam site.
Large sticks and branches are towed to the site with the beavers' large incisors and are used to support the dam and keep the other components in place. The females are the most active in dam building, though all adults and yearlings may take part. Most construction takes place at night, according to The Macmillan Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia. New questions are answered on the site every Tuesday and Thursday.