Eurasian beaver vs European water vole

Castor fiber compared with Arvicola amphibius

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while European water vole is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	European water vole
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Rodentia (Rodents)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Cricetidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Arvicola
Species	Castor fiber	Arvicola amphibius

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian beaver and European water vole share a common ancestor at the Order level: Rodentia. (Rodents)

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

European water vole

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	European water vole
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eurasian beaver

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

European water vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Eurasian beaver

Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden