AnimalsBeavers cut down trees with their strong front teeth and build dams of sticks and mud across streams. The pond behind the dam protects their home, called a lodge. Few animals change their surroundings as much.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Castor canadensis
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Herbivore (eats plants)
- Lives in
- North America
- Habitat
- Rivers, streams and lakes
- A young one is called
- kit
- A group is called
- colony or family
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Rodentia
- Family Castoridae
- Genus Castor
- Species Castor canadensis
More distant relatives in the order Rodentia: house mouse, Indian crested porcupine, Indian palm squirrel.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The North American beaver is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.