Canadian beaver vs red-cedar

Castor canadensis compared with Trichilia hirta

Key Differences

• Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while red-cedar is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	red-cedar
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Sapindales (Sapindales)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Meliaceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Trichilia
Species	Castor canadensis	Trichilia hirta

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

red-cedar

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	red-cedar
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).

red-cedar

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba.

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.