Canadian beaver vs Coelacanth

Castor canadensis compared with Latimeria chalumnae

Key Differences

• Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while Coelacanth is Critically Endangered.
• Canadian beaver is herbivore while Coelacanth is carnivore.
• Coelacanth is 3.2x heavier than Canadian beaver.
• Coelacanth lives longer (100 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	Coelacanth
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Coelacanthiformes (Coelacanthiformes)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Latimeriidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Latimeria
Species	Castor canadensis	Latimeria chalumnae

Evolutionary Relationship

Canadian beaver and Coelacanth share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Coelacanth

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	Coelacanth
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	15 years	100 years
Average Length	1.0 m	1.8 m
Average Weight	25.0 kg	80.0 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).

Coelacanth

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Comoros, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Coelacanth

A living fossil thought extinct for 65 million years until rediscovered off South Africa in 1938, coelacanths can reach 2 meters and 90 kg. They belong to an ancient lobe-finned lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to ray-finned fish, making them scientifically invaluable for understanding vertebrate evolution. Found in deep rocky reef habitats of the Indian Ocean, they are nocturnal and undergo internal fertilization, giving birth to fully formed live young. Critically Endangered.