Move over squirrels! There's a new critter on the IU Bloomington campus attracting attention. The Indiana Daily Student reported on Nov. 15, 2022, that a beaver has been busily building a dam along the Campus River near East 7th Street.
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, beavers (Castor canadensis) were once rare in the state due to overharvesting—but, after reintroduction in 1935, the mammal has thrived and is now found throughout most of Indiana.
Contrary to popular belief, beavers don't live in dams; as ecosystem engineers, they construct dams to shape the habitat to meet their needs. They are well equipped for the task with front feet adept at digging and carrying and webbed hind feet for swimming. Their characteristic flat tails serve as rudders as well as support them when cutting trees with their front teeth.
Beavers are vegetarians. Although the beaver is North America's largest rodent, weighing between 30 and 70 pounds, it poses little threat to humans.
The campus beaver's dam is in a wooded area far from footpaths. The IDS article quoted IU Professor P. David Polly as saying that the beaver presents no risk to students. “The main conceivable risk is that one could fell a tree,” Polly said, “The chances of [the tree] hitting a student are almost zero.”
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