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 27 peeling small branches DHJanzen100900.jpg high resolution
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| Aspen stems peeled by a beaver. Note the slanting cutting marks made by the beaver twirling the stem in its hands (forefeet) as the incisors slice off the bark and the feet simultaneously move the stem to the left, much as a lathe cuts a layer off a steel bar. I suspect that beaver are handed, as are many other animals with substantial manual dexterity, but I do not know if this has been examined (our prehensile-tailed porcupine in Lecture 14 is left-handed, for example). | ||
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