Canadian beaver vs meadow brown

Castor canadensis compared with Maniola jurtina

Key Differences

• Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while meadow brown is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	meadow brown
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)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Maniola
Species	Castor canadensis	Maniola jurtina

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

meadow brown

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	meadow brown
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).

meadow brown

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (40 countries).

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.

meadow brown

meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 15 countries:

🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇬🇧 United Kingdom