Amerikanischer Biber vs Europäische Biber

Castor canadensis compared with Castor fiber

Key Differences

• Amerikanischer Biber is Not Evaluated while Europäische Biber is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Amerikanischer Biber	Europäische Biber
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class same	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order same	Rodentia (Nagetiere)	Rodentia (Nagetiere)
Family same	Castoridae (Beavers)	Castoridae (Beavers)
Genus same	Castor (Beavers)	Castor (Beavers)
Species	Castor canadensis	Castor fiber

Evolutionary Relationship

Amerikanischer Biber and Europäische Biber share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Castor. (Beavers)

Conservation Status

Amerikanischer Biber

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Europäische Biber

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Amerikanischer Biber	Europäische Biber
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	1.0 m	—
Average Weight	25.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amerikanischer Biber

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (15 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Argentina, Chile).

Europäische Biber

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.

Amerikanischer Biber

The largest rodent in North America, Canadian beavers weigh up to 32 kg and are master ecosystem engineers inhabiting rivers, lakes, and wetlands across Canada and the northern United States. By felling trees and constructing dams up to hundreds of meters long, beavers create ponds that provide habitat for hundreds of species. Their lodges and canals transform entire watersheds. Once nearly hunted to extinction for their fur, beaver populations have recovered strongly.

Europäische Biber

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden