Eurasian beaver vs mountain paca

Castor fiber compared with Cuniculus taczanowskii

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while mountain paca is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	mountain paca
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)	Cuniculidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Cuniculus
Species	Castor fiber	Cuniculus taczanowskii

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian beaver and mountain paca share a common ancestor at the Order level: Rodentia. (Rodents)

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

mountain paca

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	mountain paca
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.

mountain paca

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. 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.