Canadian beaver vs Clouded Apollo

Castor canadensis compared with Parnassius mnemosyne

Key Differences

• Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while Clouded Apollo is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	Clouded Apollo
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Papilionidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Parnassius
Species	Castor canadensis	Parnassius mnemosyne

Evolutionary Relationship

Canadian beaver and Clouded Apollo share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Clouded Apollo

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	Clouded Apollo
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).

Clouded Apollo

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (33 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Clouded Apollo

Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 10 countries:

🇦🇹 Austria 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine