Eurasian beaver vs painted ray

Castor fiber compared with Raja microocellata

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while painted ray is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	painted ray
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Rajiformes (Rajiformes)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Rajidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Raja
Species	Castor fiber	Raja microocellata

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

painted ray

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	painted ray
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.

painted ray

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Denmark. 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 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark