Bank Vole vs Eurasian beaver

Myodes glareolus compared with Castor fiber

Key Differences

• Bank Vole is Least Concern while Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bank Vole	Eurasian beaver
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Rodentia (Rodents)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Cricetidae	Castoridae (Beavers)
Genus	Myodes	Castor (Beavers)
Species	Myodes glareolus	Castor fiber

Evolutionary Relationship

Bank Vole and Eurasian beaver share a common ancestor at the Order level: Rodentia. (Rodents)

Conservation Status

Bank Vole

LC — Least Concern

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bank Vole	Eurasian beaver
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bank Vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada).

Eurasian beaver

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bank Vole

Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Eurasian beaver

Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden