Eager beavers build a giant dam that would have made Hoover proud



T his woodland construction is actually the world's biggest beaver dam. It is so big that it spans twice the width of the Hoover dam and can even be seen from space.



The enormous edifice measures 2,790ft (850metres) in length and shows the skill of the big-toothed furry animals.



The mammals use trees, mud and stone to make a type of moat where they can use their swimming skills to evade any predators.

This 850m long beaver dam in Alberta, Canada, is the world's biggest and can be seen from space. Beavers have been building the dam since 1975

The families live in lodges on the dams and spend their days adding to and repairing the incredible structures.

The dam was spotted by experts monitoring the size and spread of the beaver dams in north America.



It is located on the southern edge of Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Alberta, Canada.

A small section of the beaver dam in Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada

This annotated version of the Google Earth image shows the dam and the principal lodges

While beaver dams are often found to be around 1,500ft in length, this one has surprised biologists because of its length.



It is thought that several beaver families joined forces to create the massive dam that contains thousands of trees and must have taken many months to complete.



The dams are an important part of the ecology and wider environment and climate change can be judged by the spread of the dams.

An industrious beaver at the site of the worlds biggest beaver dam. It is thought a number of beaver families clubbed together to make the dam

The Hoover Dam is 1,244ft long

Sharon Brown, a biologist from Beavers: Wetland and Wildlife, an educational organisation in north America, said: 'Beavers build dams to create a good habitat. They are very agile in the water but they're a bit slow moving on land.



'They create a habitat with lots of water like a moat around their lodges so they can swim and drive and keep one step ahead of predators such as coyotes and bears.



'They also use water to move the trees they use in their dams because it is easier floating wood on water than dragging them over land.



'These habitats are not just good for them but for other animals and the environment.



'This dam is particularly big and Google Earth has also shown the beavers moving north because of climate change.



'Their dams are also good because they slow the flow of water leading to less drought and less flooding.

