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Why are beavers obsessed with dams? - Glynnis Hood

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Nestled in the forests of Canada sits the world’s longest beaver dam. This 850-meter-long structure is large enough to be seen in satellite imagery and has dramatically transformed the region, creating a pond containing 70 million liters of water. But dams of any size can have huge impacts on their environment. So how exactly do beavers build these impressive structures? Glynnis Hood investigates.

During the global fur trade of the 16th to 19th century, both species were almost hunted and trapped to extinction both in Eurasia (for the Eurasian beaver) and North America (for the North American beaver). Both species have since made dramatic recoveries throughout much of their former ranges. How might the extinction of beavers throughout the northern hemisphere have altered biodiversity and ecological processes?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Glynnis Hood
  • Director Keegan Thornhill
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Storyboard Artist Keegan Thornhill
  • Animator Keegan Thornhill
  • Background Artist Jonathan Martin Allan
  • Composer Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio
  • Sound Designer Amanda P.H. Bennett, Chengqing Zhu, cAMP Studio
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Producer Anna Bechtol
  • Associate Producer Abdallah Ewis
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Renae Reints

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