Canadian beaver vs

Castor canadensis compared with Sphingopyxis granuli

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Proteobacteria (Proteobacteria)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Alphaproteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Sphingomonadales (Sphingomonadales)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Sphingomonadaceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Sphingopyxis
Species	Castor canadensis	Sphingopyxis granuli

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 Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

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.

Sphingopyxis granuli is a Gram-negative alphaproteobacterium in the family Sphingomonadaceae, characterized by its yellow-pigmented colonies and the presence of sphingolipids in its membrane—a trait shared across the family. It was isolated from granule-associated material and is aerobic, rod-shaped, and motile. Sphingopyxis species are common in soils, freshwater, and plant-associated environments.