Canadian beaver vs Cape Star-chestnut

Castor canadensis compared with Sterculia alexandri

Key Differences

• Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while Cape Star-chestnut is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	Cape Star-chestnut
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Malvales (Malvales)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Malvaceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Sterculia
Species	Castor canadensis	Sterculia alexandri

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Cape Star-chestnut

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	Cape Star-chestnut
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	1.0 m	—
Average Weight	25.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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).

Cape Star-chestnut

Habitat

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.

Cape Star-chestnut

The Cape Star-chestnut (Sterculia alexandri) is a species in the genus Sterculia. It is currently classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.