Ashy Willow vs Canadian beaver

Salix cinerea compared with Castor canadensis

Key Differences

• Ashy Willow is Least Concern while Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ashy Willow	Canadian beaver
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Salicaceae	Castoridae (Beavers)
Genus	Salix	Castor (Beavers)
Species	Salix cinerea	Castor canadensis

Conservation Status

Ashy Willow

LC — Least Concern

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ashy Willow	Canadian beaver
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	25.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ashy Willow

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (India), Europe (6 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand).

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).

Ashy Willow

Ashy willow (Salix cinerea) is a species in the genus Salix. It is listed 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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇮 Finland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States