1. Now and then: the species, including fossils
2. Form, weight, and special adaptations
3. Diving the thermoregulation: from land mammal to semiaquatic design and function
5. Families as social units
6. Communication by scent and sound
7. Infrastructure: dams, lodges, trails, and canals
10. Reproduction, development, and life expectancy
11. Population densities and dynamics
12. Finding a home: dispersal
13. Where they live and why: habitat requirements
14. Mortality and predators
15. Parasites and diseases
16. Maker of landscapes: creating habitat for plants, animals, and people
Part V: Beaver and people: conservation, use, and management
17. "Here before Christ": fur trade, the "beaver republic" (Hudson's Bay Company), and fur trapping today
18. Reintroductions and other transplants
19. "Nuisance beavers" claim their land
20. Needed: an ecosystems engineer for habitat restoration and other services
21. Conservation and proactive management.
