Canadian beaver vs spring speedwell

Castor canadensis compared with Veronica verna

Key Differences

• Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while spring speedwell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	spring speedwell
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)	Veronica
Species	Castor canadensis	Veronica verna

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

spring speedwell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	spring speedwell
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).

spring speedwell

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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 5 countries:

🇫🇮 Finland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States