Balkan Yam vs Canadian beaver

Dioscorea balcanica compared with Castor canadensis

Key Differences

• Balkan Yam is Near Threatened while Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Yam	Canadian beaver
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Dioscoreaceae	Castoridae (Beavers)
Genus	Dioscorea	Castor (Beavers)
Species	Dioscorea balcanica	Castor canadensis

Conservation Status

Balkan Yam

NT — Near Threatened

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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).

Balkan Yam

The Balkan Yam (Dioscorea balcanica) is a species in the genus Dioscorea. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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.