Eurasian beaver vs lechwe

Castor fiber compared with Kobus leche

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while lechwe is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	lechwe
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Bovidae (Bovids)
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Kobus
Species	Castor fiber	Kobus leche

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian beaver and lechwe share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

lechwe

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	lechwe
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.

lechwe

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, South Africa, and United Kingdom. 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 1 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium