Castor Americano vs Common Dodder

Castor canadensis compared with Cuscuta gronovii

Key Differences

• Castor Americano is Not Evaluated while Common Dodder is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor Americano	Common Dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (planta)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Solanales (Solanales)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Cuscuta
Species	Castor canadensis	Cuscuta gronovii

Conservation Status

Castor Americano

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Common Dodder

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor Americano	Common Dodder
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	1.0 m	—
Average Weight	25.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Castor Americano

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).

Common Dodder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (11 countries) and North America (United States).

Castor Americano

El roedor más grande de América del Norte, el castor canadiense puede pesar hasta 32 kg y es un maestro ingeniero del ecosistema que habita ríos, lagos y humedales de Canadá y el norte de Estados Unidos. Al talar árboles y construir presas de hasta cientos de metros de longitud, los castores crean estanques que proporcionan hábitat para cientos de especies. Sus madrigueras y canales transforman cuencas hidrográficas enteras. Una vez casi cazados hasta la extinción por su piel, las poblaciones de castor se han recuperado notablemente.

Common Dodder

<em>Cuscuta gronovii</em>, the common dodder, is a parasitic annual vine in the family Convolvulaceae. This species is distributed across eleven European countries as well as the United States, where it typically inhabits diverse terrestrial environments including wetland margins, roadsides, thickets, and disturbed vegetation. Unlike most plants, <em>Cuscuta gronovii</em> lacks chlorophyll and is entirely dependent on host plants for water and nutrients, which it extracts through specialized structures called haustoria. The common dodder typically has slender, twining orange or yellowish stems and produces small, clustered white or pale pink flowers in late summer. It often parasitizes a broad range of host species, including many herbaceous and shrubby plants. Once attached to a host, it typically sheds its connection to the soil and relies entirely on the host for sustenance. The species is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting its wide distribution and ability to colonize disturbed habitats. Its parasitic life history makes it ecologically notable among flowering plants.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 9 countries:

🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States