Canadian beaver vs European water vole

Castor canadensis compared with Arvicola amphibius

Key Differences

• Canadian beaver is Not Evaluated while European water vole is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canadian beaver	European water vole
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order same	Rodentia (Roedores)	Rodentia (Roedores)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Cricetidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Arvicola
Species	Castor canadensis	Arvicola amphibius

Evolutionary Relationship

Canadian beaver and European water vole share a common ancestor at the Order level: Rodentia. (Roedores)

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

European water vole

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Canadian beaver	European water vole
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).

European water vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Canadian beaver

O maior roedor da América do Norte, o castor-canadense pode pesar até 32 kg e é um mestre engenheiro do ecossistema, habitando rios, lagos e áreas úmidas do Canadá e norte dos Estados Unidos. Ao derrubar árvores e construir barragens de até centenas de metros de comprimento, os castores criam lagoas que proporcionam habitat para centenas de espécies. Suas tocas e canais transformam bacias hidrográficas inteiras. Quase caçados até a extinção por sua pelagem, as populações de castor se recuperaram fortemente.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden