Jill's Pick from Around the World: European beavers construct ideal habitats for bats
Reintroduced beavers construct ideal habitats for bats, new research reveals.
Photo credit: BBC
Source: BBC Earth News
By felling trees, beavers thin out the canopy, scientists have found, leaving fewer obstacles in the way of aerial-hunting bats as they pursue insects. Also, river-damming by beavers boosts the numbers of these insect prey by creating large waterlogged areas. Scientists say this study provides further evidence of beavers' essential role in maintaining woodlands.
The European beaver was reintroduced to forest areas of northern Poland between 1943 and 1986, having previously become extinct in the area a century before. Beavers are known to extensively transform the environments in which they live by felling trees for food and building dams.
To view previous Jill's Pick from Around the World stories follow these links:
- 01/05/11: Chimps in Guinea teach each other to defuse poachers' traps
- 12/28/10: Sharks Get Congressional Protection
- 11/24/10: Leonardo DiCaprio pledges $1m to help save tigers
- 11/18/10: Thirty-three whales die after becoming beached off Irish coast
- 11/02/10: Odd New Monkey Species Discovered, Then Eaten
- 10/19/10: Largest Marine Survey Ever Reveals Rich Life Under the Sea
Posted by WILDNEWJERSEY at 1/21/2011 7:00 AM 
Categories: Jill's Pick from Around the World
Tags: european beaver poland bats woodlands river damming beavers
Categories: Jill's Pick from Around the World
Tags: european beaver poland bats woodlands river damming beavers
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