The beaver is the largest rodent in North America and one of the most recognizable animals in Canada. Found in rivers, streams, and ponds across nearly every part of the country, it appears on the Canadian nickel and was named an official emblem of the nation in 1975. For two centuries the beaver sat at the heart of the North American fur trade, its dense pelt shipped across the Atlantic to be pressed into fashionable felt hats. So relentless was the hunting that by the late 1800s the animal had vanished from much of its former range, and only careful protection allowed its numbers to recover.

The beaver is superbly equipped for life in and around water. A second set of transparent eyelids lets it see while submerged, and flaps of skin seal its ears and nose whenever it dives. Its front teeth are its most striking feature: coated in a hard, iron-rich orange enamel, they never stop growing and are kept short only by constant gnawing. Beneath a thick, waterproof coat lies a layer of fat that keeps the animal warm, and its broad, scaly tail serves as a rudder in the water and a prop on land.