Eurasian beaver vs hedgehog

Castor fiber compared with Erinaceus europaeus

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while hedgehog is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	hedgehog
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Rodentia (грызуны)	Erinaceomorpha (ежеобразные)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Erinaceidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Erinaceus
Species	Castor fiber	Erinaceus europaeus

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian beaver and hedgehog share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (млекопитающие)

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	hedgehog
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eurasian beaver

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.

hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China, Japan), Europe (8 countries), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand).

Eurasian beaver

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.

hedgehog

hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden