The Taipei Zoo has successfully bred a Canadian beaver for the first time ever. The baby is the first offspring of mother beaver Ronna and father beaver Robin, who have been together for three years. The beaver cub was born on June 10. Its eyes are open, the incisors have come in and it bears a striking resemblance to its mother when mimicking her chewing tree branches. Evidently the little one is a natural dam builder too.
The zoo says that beavers are found mostly in North America. Beavers have webbed hind feet and their tails are scaly, broad and flat, with very little fur. The zoo’s newborn beaver has a relatively big head and one molar has come in on both sides of the top of the cub’s mouth with two molars on both sides of the bottom. He has learned how to gnaw on tree branches and plays in the water of a small fountain. Data shows that baby beavers typically learn how to swim within the first 24 hours after being born and stop breastfeeding after around two weeks.
Interestingly, the zoo says that Ronna and Robin always sleep together in their lodge during the day and Ronna occasionally goes for a swim alone at dusk. Even the conservationists at the zoo have never seen the nocturnal creatures making love. On June 10 it was discovered upon closer observation that Ronna was unwilling to do anything outdoors because she had given birth to a baby beaver. It is impossible to determine the sex of a beaver by looking at it, so the baby’s sex is not known at this point.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Zoo
照片由台北市立動物園提供
Three days after it was born, the beaver was able to leave the cage and learn from its mother how to gnaw on tree branches. The mother kept cautiously picking her baby up with her mouth to take it back, and every time the mother left the lodge it would take advantage of the opportunity to sneak out again.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
台北市立動物園首度成功繁殖加拿大河狸，是河狸媽媽「羅娜」和河狸爸爸「羅賓」相遇三年多的結晶。六月十日出生的小河狸已張眼、長了門牙，還會有模有樣地學媽媽啃樹枝，看得出來是天生築水壩高手。
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Zoo
照片由台北市立動物園提供
動物園說，河狸主要分布於北美，後腳有蹼，尾巴寬寬扁扁的，幾乎沒有毛，但有鱗片覆蓋。園裡新生的河狸寶寶頭很大，口腔上方左右各有一顆臼齒，下方左右各長兩顆臼齒，已學會啃樹枝，還會在小水盆泡水。資料記載小河狸出生廿四小時就會游泳，約兩週斷奶。
有趣的是，動物園說，「羅娜」和「羅賓」白天都一起窩在巢箱中睡大頭覺，「羅娜」偶爾黃昏獨自下水游泳，連保育員都沒看過夜行性的河狸談戀愛，卻在六月十日發現「羅娜」不願意到戶外活動，仔細觀察才發現，原來是小河狸誕生了，不過河狸無法從外觀分辨雌雄，還不知道寶寶性別。
活力充沛的小河狸出生三天就會跑出巢箱學媽媽啃樹枝，不過媽媽還是小心翼翼的把牠叼回去，但只要媽媽一離開巢箱，小河狸又會趁機溜出去。
（自由時報記者謝佳君）
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