The Camille Creamer Beaver Exhibit
Have you ever seen a beaver up-close? Delve into the lives of these secret creatures at one of the Chattahoochee Nature Center's most popular exhibits. This male beaver arrived at CNC in February 1995 when less than a week old after his parents and siblings were removed by a trapper.
The Life of a Beaver
Beavers live in family groups or colonies that include a breeding pair and four or five offspring which range in age from newborns to two years. At the age of two, kits (young beavers) leave their parents' lodge and establish colonies of their own. In poor habitats, where new colonization sites are limited, the kits may stay with their parents longer. During this time, the young learn valuable skills from their parents while contributing to the colony's work force. This social structure is important because of the methods beavers use to ensure their survival require a great deal of skill, strength and cooperation among family members.
The Life of Opossums
Both female; the darker one was born mid-March 2009 and kept as a pet by the folks who found it for several weeks before getting it to a rehabber. It is unknown when opossums imprint on their parents, and having been raised by people, it is a risk to the survival of the baby to attempt to release it. The lighter one was born in mid-April and was found by a dog on Easter Sunday during an Easter egg hunt. The dog bit the opossum and fractured her left thighbone at the pelvis. The fracture didn’t heal correctly before she was taken to a rehabber, so she is unstable when climbing.