@gabrupawpixelsThe beaver is the only animal besides humans that deliberately and systematically transforms entire landscapes to suit its needs. A single beaver family can transform a flowing stream into a complete wetland ecosystem over a few years — creating habitat for hundreds of other species that would not exist without the beaver's engineering work. They were hunted nearly to extinction across North America for their fur in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In their absence entire river systems changed character — losing the wetlands the beavers had maintained for thousands of years. When they are reintroduced the wetlands return. No other single animal has this level of ecosystem engineering power. The original landscape architects. 🦫🌿
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