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thermic habitat. ey even exhibit a unique reproductive strategy called
delayed implantation, where gestation may be suspended for at least
eight months (in otters), when blind babies can emerge in more favorable
environmental conditions. Minks are fairly solitary, but for otters, a lot
comes back to poop, given that communal "latrines" are key social hubs
for learning about the sex, dominance status, and food resources of otters
nearby. Otters bond with mates and kin over these scat heaps, and their
offerings are often pat down with stamping back feet, a mysterious little
poop dance that seems to affirm who's who.
Biodiversity can be clunky term, but the existence of Montana's
semiaquatic mammal quartet is a priceless gift, with each species
present across most of the state. From air-trapping fur to water-
excluding nostrils to marvels of ecosystem engineering, these creatures
are adapting to niches far from our own. And yet, the more we learn
about conserving our rare, vital streams and wetlands, the more we're
realizing the biodiversity we need might have a simplified spelling:
B-E-A-V-E-R. Montanans are taking notice, and efforts are underway
around the state to survey and restore beaver habitat, entice natural re-
beavering with low-tech "beaver dam analogues", and resolve conflicts
with proven nonlethal tools. Beavers have shaped our state's past and,
as Montana's climate gets drier, hotter, and generally more extreme,
they'll have an increasing role in our resilient future. If you get the
chance to see this keystone species swim by, iceberg-like, you can trust
that, below the surface, beavers are keeping Montana wild and wet.
BRETT SWAIN
Muskrat
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