Eurasian beaver ( Castor fiber ) mating behavior

TL;DR

This paper documents rare daylight mating behavior of Eurasian beavers in the River Elbe, revealing a detailed mating cycle.

Contribution

The study provides the first video documentation of Eurasian beaver mating behavior during daylight.

Findings

Mating involved a sequence of self-grooming, male-led movement into water, and copulation.

The mating cycle was repeated multiple times in a single day.

Observations enhance understanding of the scarce mating behavior of Eurasian beavers.

Abstract

Eurasian beavers (
Castor fiber
) typically mate in the water at night, and observations of mating beavers are extremely scarce. As a result, little is known about their mating behavior. Here, I provide video documentation of beavers mating in the River Elbe during daylight, offering a unique opportunity to observe their mating behavior. The mating cycle consisted of: 1) a phase of self-grooming on land, 2) followed by the male pushing the female into the water and following her, and 3) copulation taking place in the water. This cycle was repeated several times throughout the same day. These observations contribute to our limited understanding of Eurasian beaver mating behavior.

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