World’s Longest Beaver Dam

World’s Longest Beaver Dam Can Be Seen From Space.

This woodland construction is the world’s biggest beaver dam, which at 2,790 feet (850 meters) in length is more than twice the length of the Hoover Dam, which spans 1,244ft, and can be seen from space.

The mammals use trees, mud, and stones to make a type of moat where they can use their swimming skills to evade any predators. The families of beavers live in lodges on the dams and spend their days adding to and repairing the incredible structures.

While beaver dams are often found to be around 1,500 feet in length, this one has surprised biologists because of its length. The dam is located on the southern edge of Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta, Canada. It is thought that several beaver families joined forces to create a massive dam that contains thousands of trees and must have taken many months to complete.

The dams are an important part of the ecology and wider environment, and climate change can be judged by the spread of the dams.

Sharon Brown, a biologist from Beavers: Wetland and Wildlife, an educational organization in North America, said: “Beavers build dams to create a good habitat. They are very agile in the water, but they’re a bit slow-moving on land.

“They create a habitat with lots of water, like a moat, around their lodges so they can swim and drive, and keep one step ahead of predators, such as coyotes and bears.

“They also use water to move the trees they use in their dams, because it is easier floating branches on the water than dragging them overland.

“Their dams are also beneficial because they slow the flow of water leading to less drought and less flooding. And when plant matter dies in water, it turns into peat and that is one of the best ways for storing carbon dioxide.”

From the May 4, 2010 issue of the Telegraph, a U.K. newspaper. The cartographer who discovered the dam was looking for signs of climate change; more dams are appearing in the North as the climate warms.