Bert am Bìobhar/Bert the Beaver

Investigative guides which reveal amazing facts about members of the animal kingdom. This episode features Bert, a two-year-old beaver who lives on a section of river in the Teton Mountains of Wyoming.

Like other rodents, beavers have huge incisors that wear down at the back faster than at the front, like self-sharpening chisels. After 20 days of hard work, Bert and his mate have built their own home, a log cabin with hidden underwater entrances so they can dart in and out under the safety of the water.

Beavers are aquatic; they swim well and can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes. They have special lenses in their eyes which act like goggles, so they can swim open-eyed. Beavers have a huge effect on their environment: clearing trees, blocking rivers and building dams and lodges. Each day a busy beaver can shift 25 times its own body weight!