Eurasian beaver vs Wood Dwarf

Castor fiber compared with Elachista obliquella

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while Wood Dwarf is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	Wood Dwarf
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Elachistidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Elachista
Species	Castor fiber	Elachista obliquella

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian beaver and Wood Dwarf share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

Wood Dwarf

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	Wood Dwarf
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.

Wood Dwarf

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. 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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden