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A common misbelief is that beavers build dams to live in. Beavers build dams so that their homes, otherwise known as lodges, are protected by water from predators. In fact, beavers who live in ponds or lakes do not build dams at all since these bodies of water have consistent water levels and enough depth to shield beavers from danger. Beaver lodges (pictured above) look like tiny islands of sticks and mud upstream of the dams, and are constructed with security in mind. They are only accessible through submerged tunnels, which are obviously impassable to wolves, coyotes, and other predators. The thick ceilings and walls are also an enormous obstacle to these predators. The only predator strong enough to tear apart a beaver lodge is the wolf, which has been eliminated from the Adirondacks. It is in fact no easy task even for humans to deconstruct a beaver's work. A large excavator aided by some dynamite generally works, but not without hours of toil.
Beavers are equipped with large variety of superpowers that allow them to thrive in their environment. They have large front teeth that wear down faster on the inside, making them sharp enough to cut through any wood. These teeth are continually growing, so beavers have no choice but to gnaw on wood to keep them under control. Beavers also have a large, flat tail that serves several purposes. It helps them steer while swimming, it helps them keep upright while sitting, and it makes a loud alarm sound when whacked on the water, alerting nearby beavers of any potential danger. It is also used a fat storage for the cold winter months. In addition to these physical oddities, beavers also have a scent glands that excrete castoreum, an oily substance that waterproofs a beaver's thick fur.
The digestive system endowed to beavers allows them to successfully live off of trees and tree bark, although they will also eat tree leaves and water plants. They are also good at thinking ahead, and will oftentimes shove sticks into the mud at the bottom of the reservoir their dam creates as snacks for during the winter. Yum, muddy sticks.
Beaver's are social creatures, and live mostly in colonies consisting of a mating pair who will stay together often for life, and several years worth of their offspring, called 'kits'. Beavers today can sometimes be a real nuisance, their dams often flooding nearby areas. Because of this, they are often exterminated, and their dams destroyed. Their chief predator is still, and has been historically, humans, who trap them them for their thick fur. Today beavers are a large presence in the Adirondacks, unencumbered by their natural predator, the wolf. Whether or not beavers are too much a presence, and whether or not they should controlled by the reintroduction of wolves is another, much larger debate.
Sources:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/beavers.html
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/beaver.htm
http://www.beaversolutions.com/about_beaver_biology.asp
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