Eurasian beaver vs Five-spot Ermel

Castor fiber compared with Ethmia terminella

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while Five-spot Ermel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	Five-spot Ermel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Ethmiidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Ethmia
Species	Castor fiber	Ethmia terminella

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian beaver and Five-spot Ermel share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

Five-spot Ermel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	Five-spot Ermel
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.

Five-spot Ermel

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden