Eurasian beaver vs Shade Moonwort

Castor fiber compared with Botrychium tenebrosum

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while Shade Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	Shade Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Botrychium
Species	Castor fiber	Botrychium tenebrosum

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

Shade Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	Shade Moonwort
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.

Shade Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden