American Beaver
Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Castoridae |
| Genus | Castor |
| Species | Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Stygoxene
- Realm
- Aquatic
Distribution
Range
Known from seven counties across five states.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee
Counties
- Alabama
- Lauderdale, Madison, Morgan
- Florida
- Jackson
- Georgia
- Walker
- Illinois
- Pope
- Tennessee
- Overton
Conservation and management
IUCN Red List
LC Least Concern
Assessed in 2016.
NatureServe
G5 Secure
National ranks
- United States
- N5 Secure
- Canada
- N5 Secure
Subnational ranks
- Illinois
- S5 Secure
- New York
- S5 Secure
- Connecticut
- S5 Secure
- Indiana
- S5 Secure
- Virginia
- S5 Secure
- Navajo Nation
- S3 Vulnerable
- North Carolina
- S5 Secure
- Arizona
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Maine
- S5 Secure
- Delaware
- S3 Vulnerable
- District of Columbia
- S3 Vulnerable
- Alabama
- S5 Secure
- Louisiana
- S5 Secure
- Michigan
- S5 Secure
- Arkansas
- S5 Secure
- Washington
- S5 Secure
- Missouri
- S5 Secure
- Vermont
- S5 Secure
- Oregon
- S5 Secure
- Maryland
- S5 Secure
- Nebraska
- S5 Secure
- Massachusetts
- S5 Secure
- North Dakota
- S5 Secure
- California
- SNR Unranked
- Texas
- S5 Secure
- Georgia
- S5 Secure
- Tennessee
- S5 Secure
- Idaho
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Pennsylvania
- S5 Secure
- Mississippi
- S5 Secure
- Kentucky
- S5 Secure
- Alaska
- S5 Secure
- Iowa
- S5 Secure
- South Carolina
- S5 Secure
- New Jersey
- S5 Secure
- Kansas
- S5 Secure
- Wisconsin
- S5 Secure
- West Virginia
- S5 Secure
- Utah
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Florida
- SNR Unranked
- Montana
- S5 Secure
- Colorado
- S4 Apparently Secure
- New Mexico
- S3 Vulnerable
- Minnesota
- SNR Unranked
- Rhode Island
- S3 Vulnerable
- South Dakota
- S5 Secure
- Wyoming
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Oklahoma
- SNR Unranked
- Ohio
- SNR Unranked
- New Hampshire
- S5 Secure
- Nevada
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Nova Scotia
- S5 Secure
- British Columbia
- S5 Secure
- Prince Edward Island
- S5 Secure
- Saskatchewan
- S5 Secure
- Quebec
- S5 Secure
- New Brunswick
- S5 Secure
- Yukon
- S5 Secure
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- S5 Secure
- Alberta
- S5 Secure
- Northwest Territories
- S5 Secure
- Nunavut
- S3 Vulnerable
- Manitoba
- S5 Secure
- Ontario
- S5 Secure
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
References
- Cobb, R.M. 1985. A reconnaissance of caves in Lauderdale and Colbert counties, Alabama for the Alabama cavefish, Speleoplatyrhinus poulsoni. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Jackson, Mississippi, USA. 28 pp.
- Franz, R., Bauer, J. & Morris, T. 1994. Review of biologically significant caves and their faunas in Florida and south Georgia. Brimleyana 20: 1–109. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/229726.
- Jones, W.B. & Varnedoe, W.W. 1980. Caves of Morgan County, Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama Bulletin 112: 1–197.
- Kuhajda, B.R. & Mayden, R.L. 2001. Status of the federally endangered Alabama cavefish, Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni (Amblyopsidae), in Key Cave and surrounding caves, Alabama. Environmental Biology of Fishes 62: 215–222.
- McGregor, S.W., Rheams, K.F., O'Neil, P.E., Moser, P.H. & Blackwood, R. 1994. Biological, geological, and hydrological investigations in Bobcat, Matthews, and Shelta caves and other selected caves in north Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. 226 pp.
- McGregor, S.W., O'Neil, P.E., Rheams, K.F., Moser, P.H. & Blackwood, R. 1997. Biological, geological, and hydrological investigations in Bobcat, Matthews, and Shelta caves and other selected caves in north Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama Bulletin 166: 1–198.
- Niemiller, M.L., Anderson, C.L., Maxwell, E.C., Midgette, H., Quering, C., Richards, M., Wilson, K. & Wirwa, N. 2025. A noteworthy range extension of the federally endangered Alabama Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae) south of the Tennessee River in northern Alabama. Southeastern Naturalist 24: N47-N58. doi:10.1656/058.024.0403
- Rheams, K.F., Moser, P.H. & McGregor, S.W. 1992. Geologic, hydrologic, and biologic investigations in Arrowwood, Bobcat, Matthews, and Shelta caves and selected caves, Madison, County, Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. 262 pp.
- Sutherland, C. 2018. Trip report: East Water Supply Cave. Tennessee Caver 2018: 26–27.
- Webb, D.W., Taylor, S.J. & Krejca, J.K. 1993. The biological resources of Illinois caves and other subterranean environments. Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA. 143 pp.
- Zigler, K.S., Niemiller, M.L., Stephen, C.D.R., Ayala, B.N., Milne, M.A., Gladstone, N.S., Engel, A.S., Jensen, J.B., Camp, C.D., Ozier, J.C. & Cressler, A. 2020. Biodiversity from caves and other subterranean habitats of Georgia, USA. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 82: 125–167. doi:10.4311/2019LSC0125
How to cite this account
Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820. Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-2265. https://cavebiology.org/species/castor-canadensis/ (accessed 7 September 2026).
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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