The beaver is a large rodent that lives in rivers and lakes. It has oversize front teeth that it uses to cut down willow shrubs and trees. It cuts these trees into shorter sections and uses them to construct dams across streams. Ponds back up behind the dams, and beavers build wooden lodges in these ponds. The lodges have underwater entrances for protection against predators. The beaver also has a large and flat tail, which it smacks against the water surface, to scare away

intruders