[NatureNS] beaver/muskrat stumpage - Chocolate Lake

Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:08:48 -0300
From: Stephen Shaw <srshaw@DAL.CA>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
References: <48DA75A0.6040703@glinx.com>
User-Agent: Internet Messaging Program (IMP) H3 (4.0.3)
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

&gt;           
OK rodent experts on NatureNS:
On the question of the identification of which rodent hacked up our rose bush
stems and alder branches about 2 weeks ago:  I've just photographed 
some of the
cut ends of the branches and uploaded four of these pics to a site I've used
before for IDs, namely

www.flickr.com/photos/steve_1968/2892388417/

where the last number should get you to the end of the series, while the other
three relevant photos are next door to this.  The lighting was not that great
but I've touched the pics up a bit. Hopefully, they may be enough for experts
to tell whether it could have been a beaver, or whether a muskrat is still in
the running for the animal responsible.  I've put a scale on each photo, and
some measurements.  The length of the longest gouge mark (on a recently found
birch branch) measured in the direction that it was obviously made, was 
7.5 mm.
Others averaged ~6 mm, and yet others were smaller still, ~4 mm.   Assuming
that it was the same one animal moving through, this rodent obviously and
unhelpfully used a variable gouge-length, to use Dave's analogy.  As it was
obviously capable of at least 7.5 mm in a single gnaw, this would seem to be
the most definitive identifier.  I also discovered another stout 
vertical alder
stem sticking out of the lake that had been cut off 13-14 inches above lake
level, and which was stiff enough that it could not have been bent over easily
to chew on.  This seems a bit tall to me, for a muskrat to have done it.

So, does anyone on the list think that a clear identification can be 
made from this evidence? Could Charlie the muskrat have done this, or 
do the pictures
suggest the handiwork of a transient beaver? We have had no further 
damage here
since, but a neighbour some distance away at the outlet end of the lake 
reports
that she found a cut branch on her driveway a couple of days ago.

Steve, Halifax


next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects