Eurasian beaver vs Great Hammerhead

Castor fiber compared with Sphyrna mokarran

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while Great Hammerhead is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	Great Hammerhead
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)
Species	Castor fiber	Sphyrna mokarran

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian beaver and Great Hammerhead share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

Great Hammerhead

CR — Critically Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	Great Hammerhead
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

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.

Great Hammerhead

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Taiwan, and Venezuela. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Great Hammerhead

The largest hammerhead shark species, great hammerheads reach up to 6 meters and are found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters worldwide. Their distinctive T-shaped head (cephalofoil) dramatically increases sensory surface area for electroreception, enabling them to detect buried stingrays through sand with exceptional precision — stingrays are a preferred prey. Critically Endangered, with populations declining dramatically due to highly valued fins and bycatch mortality.