Canadian beaver vs

Castor canadensis compared with Chroococcus dispersus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Canadian beaver
Kingdom Animalia (สัตว์) Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง) Cyanobacteria (สาหร่ายสีเขียวแกมน้ำเงิน)
Class Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม) Cyanobacteriia
Order Rodentia (อันดับสัตว์ฟันแทะ) Cyanobacteriales
Family Castoridae (Beavers) Microcystaceae
Genus Castor (Beavers) Chroococcus
Species Castor canadensis Chroococcus dispersus

Conservation Status

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Canadian beaver
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).

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan.

Canadian beaver

The largest rodent in North America, Canadian beavers weigh up to 32 kg and are master ecosystem engineers inhabiting rivers, lakes, and wetlands across Canada and the northern United States. By felling trees and constructing dams up to hundreds of meters long, beavers create ponds that provide habitat for hundreds of species. Their lodges and canals transform entire watersheds. Once nearly hunted to extinction for their fur, beaver populations have recovered strongly.

Chroococcus dispersus is a species of cyanobacteria in the family Chroococcaceae, occurring in freshwater habitats including lakes, ponds, and slowly flowing waters. It belongs to a genus characterized by small, spherical cells grouped in pairs or quartets within a diffuse, hyaline sheath. The specific epithet dispersus suggests a tendency for cells or colonies to be loosely organized or widely distributed. Cyanobacteria in the genus Chroococcus are typical components of the plankton and periphyton of oligotrophic to mesotrophic freshwater bodies in temperate and boreal regions. They are photosynthetic, using sunlight and dissolved carbon dioxide to produce organic matter, and contribute to primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems. Some Chroococcus species can also fix atmospheric nitrogen under nitrogen-limited conditions, though this trait is more pronounced in filamentous cyanobacterial genera. Chroococcus dispersus has been identified from European freshwater systems and is representative of the diverse microfloral communities found in clean to moderately enriched freshwaters. It is not assessed by the IUCN and has no known economic significance, representing one of many microscopic components of aquatic biodiversity.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia