A female beaver carries her young inside her body for about three months before they are born. She has two to four babies at a time. A kit has soft, fluffy fur at birth, and its eyes are open. The young live with their parents for about two years, and then are driven from the family group. These young adults are forced out to make room for the newborn.
Beavers eat the inner bark, twigs, leaves, and roots of trees and shrubs.
Poplar trees, especially aspens and cottonwoods, and willow trees are among their favorites. Beavers also eat water plants, and especially like the roots and tender sprouts of water lilies. Beavers store food for winter use. They anchor branches and logs in a cache under the water near their lodges. In winter, they swim under the ice and eat the bark.