Canadian beaver vs gratiola

Castor canadensis compared with Gratiola officinalis

Key Differences

• Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while gratiola is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	gratiola
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lamiales (Lamiales)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Plantaginaceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Gratiola
Species	Castor canadensis	Gratiola officinalis

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

gratiola

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	gratiola
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).

gratiola

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, France, Portugal, and Sweden. 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden