🦫 North American beaver vs North American river otter 🦦
The North American river otter is a bit bigger than the North American beaver. The North American river otter is about 3 times as fast as the North American beaver.
| Row | 🦫 North American beaver | 🦦 North American river otter |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed The North American river otter is about 3 times as fast as the North American beaver. | 5 mph8.1 km/h1 | 15 mph24 km/h2 |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the North American river otter yet. | 35 to 60 lb16 to 27 kg3 | no checked number yet |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the North American river otter yet. | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years1 | no checked number yet |
| Eats The North American beaver eats plants; the North American river otter eats fish. | bark, twigs, leaves and water plants | fish, crayfish, frogs and other small water animals |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | streams, rivers and lakes in the forests of North America | rivers, lakes and marshes across North America |
Which one? North American beaver or North American river otter
🏁 Who would win the race?
The North American river otter gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about 3 times as fast as the North American beaver. It isn't quite fair: the North American beaver is swimming and the North American river otter is hopping.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
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The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/beaver-vs-river-otter
- 🦫 All about the North American beaver
- 🦦 All about the North American river otter
- ⚖️ Compare Two
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Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Prince William Forest Park, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Acadia, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.