Beaver dam in the Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho, USA
© Charles Knowles/Alam
Slowing the flow
Don't get distracted by the, admittedly striking, top half of today's photo. The postcard appeal of Idaho's Sawtooth Range – part of the Rocky Mountains - is undeniable, but we’re focused on the humble structure at the bottom. Beaver dams like this can be found from coast to coast in the United States and Canada, and now is the time of year when these industrious rodents set to work reinforcing their dams. Listening closely for trickles of running water, they patch compromised sections with logs and mud, securing their habitat for the winter.
And their efforts have important downstream effects: Beaver dams help to prevent floods by slowing water flows, and also filter out sediment to create cleaner streams and rivers. A stream in Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park, in Alberta, is said to be home to the world’s largest beaver dam, at more than half a mile long.
Related Images
The village of Aguerd Oudad and the larger town of Tafraout in Morocco
The Llangattock Escarpment in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Powys, Wales
Shoreline near Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Full moon rising over Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven on the north-east coast of Scotland
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Loup of Fintry waterfall on the River Endrick, Scotland
Mua Caves in the Ninh Bình province of Vietnam
The National Wallace Monument overlooking Stirling in Scotland
Bing Today Images
