New research shows that juvenile beavers master the art of directional tree felling by copying adults in the most advantageous approach to a tree and placement of the initial cut. Here, an adult female and her son from last year alternate in cutting a large Douglas fir near a forested lake in northern Montana in the United States. Cuts at different height on opposite sides of the trunk enable the most efficient and safest tree felling. Still, an adult pauses periodically to assess tree angle and stability. Cameras mounted high in the canopy and fired remotely from about 50 m away, just outside of a tree fall reach, were instrumental in discovering crucial aspects of tree cutting behavior in this beaver colony.

Nature’s Lumberjacks

Tree-felling is dangerous business, so naturally a mother shows her young kit how it’s done.

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