The full moon that appears in November is called the Beaver Moon by both the Algonquin tribes and colonial Americans. The Beaver Moon of November was sometimes also referred to as the Frost Moon by some Native American tribes. There remains a disagreement over the origin of November’s beaver moon name. Some say it comes from Native Americans setting beaver traps during this month before the swamps froze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs.  There used to be more than 60 million North American beavers. However, because people have hunted them for fur and their glands for medicine, among other reasons, the beaver population has declined to around 12 million.

 

Other say that the Beaver Moon comes from the heavy activity of beavers building their winter dams as this is the time they become particularly active building their winter dams in preparation for the cold season. The beaver is mainly nocturnal, so they keep working under the light of the Full Moon.