How Beavers Make Ponds

Beavers, animals that live near water, can change the area around them. They build dams, walls across small rivers, with pieces of trees, stones and wet earth.

A dam slows the water and makes it deeper behind the wall. Water can still go through holes or over the top. This often makes a pond, a small area of water.

Deeper water helps beavers reach food and their homes safely. They move more easily in water than on land. They can enter their homes under the water. This helps keep them safe from other animals. The dam is usually not their home. They may live in a separate home or a hole beside the river. Some beavers do not build dams because their water is already deep enough.

Fast water carries small pieces of earth. In slower water, some fall to the bottom. Over time, this can make soft, wet ground. Water can also move into the ground beside the pond.

These changes give plants and animals new places to live. But they are not good for every living thing. Water can cover plants that need drier ground. Dams can also change how fish move, with different results in different rivers.

By meeting their own needs, beavers change the homes of many other living things.