06-02-06-056-s

Name: Date:

Subject: Year 6 Literacy Unit: Beaver

Beaver
Quick facts Diet: Herbivore Life span in the wild: Up to 24 years Size: 65 100 cm Weight: 28 kg Group name: Colony

Beavers (Castor Canadensis) are large rodents with thick fur and flat, scaly tails. They use branches, twigs and mud to build their homes which are called lodges. A lodge is often built in the middle of a pond and has several underwater entrances which helps keep the beavers safe from predators. They use their sharp teeth for gnawing through branches and other plants, which they use for food and for dam building. Beavers are herbivores (only eat plants). During the winter months they eat bark and leaves. In the summer they feed on grass, leaves and aquatic plants. Beavers spend most of their time in the water but also go on land. Beavers use their flat tails to steer them through the water and for balancing when on land. They also slap their tails on the water to warn other beavers of danger. They have short legs and webbed back feet. Their fur is oily to keep them dry in the water and they can close their nostrils and ears when swimming. Females give birth to a litter of three or four young called kits. The kits stay in the lodge for a month and are looked after by their mother. When the young beavers are two years old, they help their parents repair dams and lodges.
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06-02-06-056-s

Name: Date:

Subject: Year 6 Literacy Unit: Beaver

Beaver
Answer the following questions:
1. What do we call a group of beavers? ___________________________________________________________________ 2. What do beavers feed on during the summer months? ___________________________________________________________________ 3. What is the scientific name for a beaver? ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Where do beavers build their lodges? a b On the river bank In the middle of a pond c Under a tree

d In a cave

5. Where do beavers spend most of their time? ___________________________________________________________________ 6. How do beavers warn other beavers of danger? ___________________________________________________________________ 7. Why do beavers have oily fur? ___________________________________________________________________ 8. What is a baby beaver called? ___________________________________________________________________
Primary Leap Ltd. 2010