Canadian beaver vs

Castor canadensis compared with Pseudoperonospora urticae

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Chromista (Chromista)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Oomycota (Oomycetes)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Peronosporea (Peronosporea)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Peronosporales (Peronosporales)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Peronosporaceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Pseudoperonospora
Species	Castor canadensis	Pseudoperonospora urticae

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver
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).

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.

Pseudoperonospora urticae is an obligate biotrophic oomycete downy mildew pathogen in the family Peronosporaceae, infecting stinging nettle (Urtica) species. It causes yellowing and chlorosis of leaves with characteristic grayish sporulation on the undersurface during moist conditions. Its host specificity to nettles makes it an interesting model for studying coevolution between oomycete pathogens and their wild hosts.