Nevada mammals

American Beaver in Nevada

Castor canadensis

Invasive in Nevada S4 Apparently Secure in Nevada

USGS NAS records 2 nonindigenous Nevada occurrences with an established population.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Beaver swimming low in murky green pond water with only its wet head and back above the surfaceClose-up of a beaver's wet dark head swimming toward the camera through rippled waterBeaver swimming in dark rippled water with wet reddish-brown fur and a grey muzzleBeaver resting on muddy ground among reeds and a small tree trunkLarge rounded beaver back breaking the surface of a reed-lined pond
Photo: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0Beaver swimming low in murky green pond water with only its wet head and back above the surfacePhoto: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0Close-up of a beaver's wet dark head swimming toward the camera through rippled waterPhoto: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0Beaver swimming in dark rippled water with wet reddish-brown fur and a grey muzzlePhoto: Ryan Hodnett · CC BY-SA 4.0Beaver resting on muddy ground among reeds and a small tree trunkPhoto: Ben · CC0Large rounded beaver back breaking the surface of a reed-lined pond

American Beaver in Nevada, by the numbers

Common in Nevada 34th most recorded of 142 mammals logged in Nevada

291 occurrence records
248 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 29, 2026 Last seen in Nevada

Records from 2000–2026.

291 total records count every Nevada occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 289; the monthly chart covers the 289 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the American Beaver in Nevada

Most sightings fall in June to July.

289 Nevada occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Nevada records (table)
MonthRecords
January29
February17
March24
April20
May23
June44
July44
August19
September16
October19
November16
December18

Monthly american beaver occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Nevada, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Nevada, with recorded sightings peaking in June–July, with a smaller rise in January.

Occurrence map

Where American Beaver has been recorded in Nevada

289 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

289 Nevada records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Toiyabe National Forest 60
Lake Mead National Recreation Area 4
Ruby Mountains Wilderness 2
Great Basin National Park 2
Arc Dome Wilderness 2
High Schells Wilderness 2
Table Mountain Wilderness 2
Toiyabe Range 1

Protected places with the most american beaver sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Nevada

CountyRecords
Elko County 74
Washoe County 72
Clark County 60
Douglas County 27
Carson City County 17
Lyon County 11
White Pine County 11
Nye County 5
Churchill County 4
Mineral County 2
Lander County 2
Lincoln County 2
2 other counties 4

The complete county distribution, spread across 14 Nevada counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Nevada records for the canadian beaver are anchored by Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Toiyabe Range. They show where people have reported it, not how many animals live there.

These sites tie the Nevada record pattern to the state’s long mountain spine. Records from separate ranges matter because Nevada’s high country is broken into isolated peaks. The strongest reporting falls in summer, when Nevada’s high country is easiest to reach but low deserts are hottest. That may shape where observers submit records.

The file combines 248 research-grade iNaturalist records and 243 GBIF records. Those 491 records measure documented encounters, not Nevada’s population size. It’s listed as invasive in Nevada. Nevada doesn’t specifically list it under the state’s conservation framework, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

American Beaver in other states

View all states →

Beaver swimming low in murky green pond water with only its wet head and back above the surface
Full species profile American Beaver Castor canadensis Size 60–90 cm2–3 ft Weight 11–32 kg24.3–70.5 lb Lifespan 20 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Nevada in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"