Skip to main content

Abundance and distribution of American beaver, Castor canadensis (Kuhl 1820), in Tierra del Fuego and Navarino islands, Chile

European Journal of Wildlife Research volume 52, pages 292–296 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Castor canadensis specimens were imported from Canada and released in the wilderness on the Argentinean part of Tierra del Fuego (TDF) in the year 1946. First studies on the development of the beaver population and subsequent environmental changes were conducted four decades later and indicated a strong expansion of these animals, with negative effects on the forest, especially the dominant Nothofagus sp. Between 1999 and 2001, we investigated the density of the beaver population in the Chilean part of TDF and the southern adjacent island Navarino (NAV). Data were mapped into a geographical information system. The mean colony density was 1.03 (range: 0.15–1.91) and 1.1 per km watercourse for 75% of the area of TDF (mainly south and central region) and the total NAV island, respectively. The average number of individuals estimated per colony was five. Based on these findings, the number of beavers in the Chilean part of TDF and on NAV was estimated at 61,300 individuals. The population is increasing and expanding in the Northern region, with a linear rate of 2.6–6.3 km/year.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1

References

  • Anderson CB, Griffith CR, Rosemond AD, Rozzi R, Dollenz O (2006) The effects of invasive North American beavers on riparian plant communities in Cape Horn, Chile: do exotic beavers engineer differently in sub-Antarctic ecosystems? Biol Conserv 128:467–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breck S, Wilson K, Andersen D (2001) The demographic response of bank-dwelling beavers to flow regulation: a comparison on the Green and Yampa Rivers. Can J Zool 79:1957–1964

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Briones M, Schlatter R, Wolodarsky A, Venegas C (2001) Classificación ambiental para hábitat de Castor canadensis (Kuhl 1820, Rodentia), de acuerdo a características de cuencas en un sector de Tierra del Fuego. Anal Inst Patagonia (Chile) 29:75–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartman G (1994) Long-term population development of a reintroduced beaver (Castor fiber) population in Sweden. Conserv Biol 8:713–717

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartman G, Axelsson A (2004) Effect of watercourse characteristics on food-caching behaviour by European beaver, Castor fiber. Department of Conservation Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden. Number: 7435R. Available at: http://www.nvb.slu.se, last accessed 2004-21-02

  • Härkönen S (1999) Forest damage caused by the Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis) in South Savo, Finland. Silva Fennica 33:247–259

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaksic FM (1998) Vertebrate invaders and their ecological impacts in Chile. Biodiv Conserv 7:1427–1445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaksic FM, Iriarte A, Jiménez JE, Martínez DR (2002) Invaders without frontiers: cross-border invasions of exotic mammals. Biol Invasions 4:157–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kinzelbach R, Sommer R (2001) Neue Tiere in Deutschland, Steckbriefe: Biber-Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758. University of Rostock, Germany, p 2

    Google Scholar 

  • Lizarralde MS (1993) Current status of the introduced beaver (Castor canadensis) population in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Ambio 22:352–358

    Google Scholar 

  • Lizarralde MS, Deferrari G, Escobar J, Alvarez S (1996) Estado de la pobalción de Castor canadensis introducida en teirra del fuego y su estudio cormosómico. Project Conicet PID-BID 50/52, p 18

  • McTaggart ST, Nelson TA (2003) Composition and demographics of beaver (Castor canadensis) colonies in central Illinois. Am Midland Nat 150:139–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mella J, Saavedra B (1995) Mamíferos con incidencia en el bosque: castores. In: Proyecto río Cóndor, Forestal Trillium Ltda. Estudio de impacto ambiental. Comisión científica Proyecto Río Cóndor y Dames & Moore, subproyecto pp 94–14

  • Novak M (1987) Beaver. In: Novak M, Baker JA, Obbard, ME, Malloch B (eds) Wild furbeaver management and conservation in North America. Ashton-Potter, Ontario, Canada, pp 283–312

    Google Scholar 

  • Nummi P (2000) Alien species in Finland, Ministry of environment, p.26–27. Available at: http://www.ymparisto.fi/download. asp?contented=34577&lan=en, last accessed 2006-01-01

  • Payne NF (1984) Mortality rates of beaver in Newfoundland. J Wildl Manage 48:117–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwab G, Lutschinger G (2001) The return of the beaver (Castor fiber) to the Danube watershed. In: Czech A, Schwab G (eds) The European Beaver in a new millennium. Proceedings of 2nd European Beaver Symposium, 27.-30.9.2001. Carpathian Heritage Society, Krakow, pp 47–50

  • Sielfeld W, Venegas C (1980) Poblamiento e impacto ambiental de Castor canadensis Kuhl, en la Isla Navarino, Chile. An Inst Patagon 11:247–257

    Google Scholar 

  • Skewes O, González F, Rubilar M, Quezada R, Olave R, Vargas V, Ávila A (1999) Investigación, aprovechamiento y control del castor en islas Tierra del Fuego y Navarino. Informe Final, Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG), XII Región, p 185

  • Smith D (1998) Beaver survey Yellowstone National Park. YCR-NR-99-3. Yellowstone Center for Resources. Available at: http://www.nps.gov/yell/nature/animals/beaver/beaver98.pdf, last accessed 2005-06-28

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by Gobierno Regional XII Región, Magallanes Y Antártica Chilena, Gobierno De Chile. We also wish to thank Nicolás Soto and to Edmundo Schuster for his help in the field.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias Pecuarias, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad de Concepción, Chillán, Chile

    Oscar Skewes & Fernando Gonzalez

  2. Instituto Forestal (INFOR), Chillán, Chile

    Rodrigo Olave, Alberto Ávila & Víctor Vargas

  3. Institute of Meat Hygiene, Department of Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, A 1210, Vienna, Austria

    Peter Paulsen

  4. Institute of Anatomy, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, A 1210, Vienna, Austria

    Horst Erich König

Authors
  1. Oscar Skewes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fernando Gonzalez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rodrigo Olave
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Alberto Ávila
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Víctor Vargas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Peter Paulsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Horst Erich König
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Oscar Skewes.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Skewes, O., Gonzalez, F., Olave, R. et al. Abundance and distribution of American beaver, Castor canadensis (Kuhl 1820), in Tierra del Fuego and Navarino islands, Chile. Eur J Wildl Res 52, 292–296 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-006-0038-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-006-0038-2

Keywords

  • American beaver
  • Chile
  • Population density
  • Range expansion
  • Introduced species