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+--- Thread: Why monogamous beavers would be good news (/thread-983.html)
Why monogamous beavers would be good news - C C - Jun 14, 2015
http://www.futurity.org/beavers-mating-941392/
EXCERPT: Beavers were once a vital part of America’s economy. Their pelts were a common currency in the New World, and the hunt for “brown gold” nearly wiped them out.
These days, beavers are making a comeback—in numbers more than reputation. In fact, they are often viewed as a nuisance, causing millions of dollars in damage each year by chewing fences, trees, and decks. They build dams, which leads to flooding of homes, crops, and railroads.
The cause of this population boom? A declining interest in kill trapping, combined with laws promoting more humane trapping methods, are two likely contributing factors. In the five years following the passage of a 1996 ballot referendum restricting trapping in Massachusetts, the number of beavers in there shot up, from 24,000 to 70,000.
[...] Although beavers are known to be among only three percent of mammals that are “socially monogamous,” raising their young exclusively with one partner, researchers do not know much about their pairing behavior. Do the parents also mate with other beavers and raise a mixed brood, or are they sexually exclusive? [Peter] Busher wants to find out.
Busher believes genetically monogamous beaver populations—those that tend to mate with one partner—increase more slowly and may stay in an area longer. If one of these populations were removed because of nuisance activity, says Busher, the area would likely be free of beavers for a while. But if the population were more promiscuous, new beavers could move into the area at any time; communities would need to develop a long-term animal removal plan....