But let's say you did look more closely. Do
you know what you would find? You would
find a beaver—an ordinary looking beaver—
sitting on the side of the stream in the late
afternoon, nibbling some cottonwood trimmings
and enjoying the trickling water rush past his
warm, brown fur. He may be admiring his work
on the dam, the dam that slows the stream to a
comfortable pace and lets the water form a little
pond. This pond is home to all variety of plants,
insects, and animals. In the pond you may see a
cutthroat trout swimming in smaller and smaller
circles, catching insects on the surface of the
water that are backlit by the afternoon sun. You
may even see some elk footprints in the mud at
the edge of the pond, which serves as the
community watering hole. And there's the
beaver, whose name is Stumpy, enjoying his
little break and his little snack after his hard
work on building the dam (which happens to be
his home too). Stumpy is a young and
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