American Witch-Hazel vs Canadian beaver

Hamamelis virginiana compared with Castor canadensis

Key Differences

• American Witch-Hazel is Least Concern while Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Witch-Hazel	Canadian beaver
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Saxifragales (Saxifragales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Hamamelidaceae	Castoridae (Beavers)
Genus	Hamamelis	Castor (Beavers)
Species	Hamamelis virginiana	Castor canadensis

Conservation Status

American Witch-Hazel

LC — Least Concern

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Witch-Hazel	Canadian beaver
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	25.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Witch-Hazel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Canadian beaver

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (15 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Argentina, Chile).

American Witch-Hazel

The American Witch-Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a species in the genus Hamamelis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Canadian beaver

The largest rodent in North America, Canadian beavers weigh up to 32 kg and are master ecosystem engineers inhabiting rivers, lakes, and wetlands across Canada and the northern United States. By felling trees and constructing dams up to hundreds of meters long, beavers create ponds that provide habitat for hundreds of species. Their lodges and canals transform entire watersheds. Once nearly hunted to extinction for their fur, beaver populations have recovered strongly.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States