It takes a beaver one night to bring down a 3-to-4-inch-thick tree. Larger trees are felled over the course of multiple work shifts. What the beaver is after are twigs and small branches, which it uses for food. It stockpiles enormous quantities in its lodge to last the winter, and as the years pass, the lodge grows by many yards. The branches also camouflage the entrances to the tunnels that lead into the lodge. As an added security feature, the beaver builds these entrances underwater so that predators can’t get in. The rest of the living space is above water and therefore dry.
