Why it represents the country
Canada made the beaver an official symbol of the country with the National Symbol of Canada Act, which received royal assent on 24 March 1975. The short law declares the beaver a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada. The link between the animal and the country, however, goes back centuries.
Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous peoples valued the beaver, using its fur for clothing and its bones for tools. From the 1600s to the middle of the 1800s, beaver fur was in great demand in Europe, where it was made into waterproof felt for fashionable hats. The fur trade drew traders and explorers deep into the continent and shaped trade routes, relationships with Indigenous peoples and the growth of settlements. The beaver became closely associated with the land that would become Canada.
According to the Government of Canada, the beaver was the first widely popular symbol of Canada, even before the maple leaf. It appeared on Canada's first postage stamp in 1851, and it has been on the five-cent coin since 1937. It is also a popular mascot for schools, sports teams and companies. For many Canadians, the hardworking dam builder feels like a fitting symbol.
About the animal
The North American beaver is the largest rodent in North America and one of the largest in the world. Adults usually weigh between about 13 and 32 kilograms. It has a thick, waterproof coat, webbed back feet for swimming and a broad, flat, scaly tail about 25 centimeters long that it uses as a rudder, a prop when sitting upright and a warning signal when slapped on the water.
Beavers are famous builders. With sharp front teeth that never stop growing, they cut down trees and branches and use them, along with mud and stones, to build dams across streams. The dam creates a pond deep enough for the beaver to swim safely and to store food underwater for winter. In the pond, beavers build a lodge of sticks and mud with underwater entrances and a dry chamber inside, which can be up to about 2.4 meters wide.
The orange color of a beaver's front teeth comes from iron in the enamel, which makes the teeth stronger. Beavers eat bark, twigs, leaves and water plants, and in autumn they sink a pile of branches near the lodge so they can feed under the ice.
Beavers live in family groups, called colonies, made up of a breeding pair and their young from the past year or two, often with up to about eight animals in all. Mating takes place in winter, and after about three and a half months the female gives birth to a litter of usually one to four kits in spring or early summer. The young stay with their parents for up to two years, then leave to find a territory of their own, often several kilometers away. Beavers are mostly active at dusk and at night.
Conservation
By the middle of the 1800s, intensive trapping had almost wiped beavers out of the Canadian landscape. Changes in fashion, protection measures and reintroductions allowed them to return, and today the North American beaver is widespread and listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Beavers are often called ecosystem engineers. Their dams slow the flow of water, create wetlands and ponds, recharge groundwater and provide homes for fish, frogs, insects, birds and other mammals. In some places land managers now welcome beavers as a low-cost way to restore streams and store water during dry periods.
Their building can also cause problems, such as flooded roads or cut trees near homes. Many communities now use tools such as pipes through dams and fencing around valuable trees so that people and beavers can live side by side.
Fun facts
- A beaver's front teeth are orange because they contain iron, which helps make them tough.
- Beavers can close their ears and nostrils and have clear eyelids that protect their eyes underwater.
- A beaver appeared on Canada's very first postage stamp, issued in 1851.
Frequently asked questions
What is the national animal of Canada?
The national animal of Canada is the North American beaver (officially designated). The North American beaver is the largest rodent in North America, a dam builder with a broad, flat, scaly tail, and it has been on Canada's five-cent coin since 1937.
Which country has the North American beaver as its national animal?
The North American beaver is the national animal of Canada.
Why is the North American beaver the national animal of Canada?
The National Symbol of Canada Act, which received royal assent on 24 March 1975, declares the beaver a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada. The link goes back centuries: from the 1600s to the middle of the 1800s, demand in Europe for beaver fur drew traders and explorers deep into the continent and shaped the growth of the land that would become Canada, and the beaver became Canada's first widely popular symbol, even before the maple leaf.
Is the North American beaver endangered?
The North American beaver is widespread today and listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. By the middle of the 1800s trapping had almost wiped it out of the Canadian landscape, but changes in fashion, protection measures and reintroductions allowed it to return.
Where does the North American beaver live?
Streams, rivers, ponds and lakes bordered by trees.
See also: Most Popular Dog Breeds in Canada (2025)
Sources
- Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada. National Symbol of Canada Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. N-17).
- Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada. Official symbols of Canada.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan. Castor canadensis: American beaver.
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Castor canadensis (assessment 2016).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
