It’s not easy to document beavers in the wild, experts say. Could a team of Wisconsin Watch reporters succeed?

Beavers are semi-aquatic rodents that use rocks, mud, and wood to dam up streams. This creates wetlands known as “beaver ponds,” which the animals use as sources of food, as well as protection ...

These allow beavers to easily propel themselves in the water especially to transport building material for their lodge or dams. Flat, scaled tail: The tail is flat and scaly. This helps serve ...

The dam even provides the beaver with sources of food ... Sometimes its broad, flat tail will be visible. Often, however, its tail is underwater, and then it can be hard to tell it from other animals ...

“The beaver dams don’t hold up against storms like our ... Beavers have been photographed at Moffett Gate; their tracks, including a tail drag in the mudflats, were photographed in Charleston ...

Canadian beaver tails have absolutely nothing to do with the resourceful rodents known for their dam-building skills. And even though the beaver is Canada's national animal, most Canucks will ...