Canadian beaver vs Common Spindle

Castor canadensis compared with Euonymus europaeus

Key Differences

Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while Common Spindle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	Common Spindle
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)
Order	Rodentia (ネズミ目)	Celastrales (ニシキギ目)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Celastraceae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Euonymus
Species	Castor canadensis	Euonymus europaeus

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Common Spindle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	Common Spindle
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	1.0 m	—
Average Weight	25.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Canadian beaver

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 Spindle

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand).

Canadian beaver

北米最大の齧歯類であるカナダビーバーは体重32kgにも達し、カナダ・米国北部の河川、湖沼、湿地に生息する優れた生態系エンジニアです。木を倒して数百メートルに及ぶダムを造ることで池を形成し、数百種の生息環境を提供します。その巣穴や運河は流域全体を変化させます。かつては毛皮のために絶滅寸前まで狩られましたが、個体数は大きく回復しています。

<em>Euonymus europaeus</em>, commonly known as the common spindle, is a deciduous shrub or small tree in the family Celastraceae, native to Europe and western Asia. This species typically inhabits woodland edges, hedgerows, scrubland, calcareous grassland margins, and riverbanks, preferring well-drained soils on chalk and limestone but tolerating a variety of substrates. Its geographic range extends across most of Europe from the British Isles and Scandinavia south to the Mediterranean, and eastward through the Caucasus into western Asia. Classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, <em>Euonymus europaeus</em> maintains stable populations throughout its native range. The species is particularly notable for its striking autumn display of bright pink to crimson four-lobed capsular fruits that split to reveal orange-coated seeds, providing an important food source for robins, blackcaps, and other birds. The seeds are toxic to humans and many mammals. The plant typically grows to 2–6 metres in height and produces small inconspicuous greenish-white flowers in spring. Biological traits such as average individual lifespan, precise body dimensions, and specific weight measurements remain poorly documented at the population level for this shrub. The hard, fine-grained wood has historically been used for making spindles and skewers, giving rise to the common name.