Castor Americano vs Giant Otter

Castor canadensis compared with Pteronura brasiliensis

Key Differences

• Castor Americano is Not Evaluated while Giant Otter is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor Americano	Giant Otter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Pteronura
Species	Castor canadensis	Pteronura brasiliensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Castor Americano and Giant Otter share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mamíferos)

Conservation Status

Castor Americano

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Giant Otter

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor Americano	Giant Otter
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).

Giant Otter

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.