The beaver is a member of the rodent (like a Rat, but bigger!) family. The beaver is also the national symbol of Canada and that is why you see beavers on 5-cent coins! Beavers live in family groups just like you do. They like to build “dams”. The dams are built across a slow moving creek or river and help make a pond. The beavers then build their house called a “lodge”. Beavers have soft brown fur, a wide flat tail with no hair, and webs between their back feet to help them swim. The food that beavers eat is leaves and bark from trees.