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Prehistoric Life

How long was Castoroides ohioensis?

An adult Castoroides ohioensis had a total length of about 2 m (6 ft 7 in).

What is measured: Adult, total body length

Castoroides ohioensis (2 m) drawn to scale beside a doorway (2 m) and a 20-foot shipping container (6.06 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Castoroides ohioensis (2 m), Doorway (2 m) and Shipping container (20 ft) (6.06 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About 3 would fit end to end along a 20-foot shipping container
  • About the height of a doorway
  • About 1.2× the height of an adult person
  • About 6 would fit end to end along a city bus
  • About 5.2× the height of a bowling pin

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Facts about Castoroides ohioensis

Castoroides was about the size of a black bear but probably did not build dams like living beavers.

Source: Cleveland Museum of Natural History, “Giant Beaver”; Illinois State Museum, “Castoroides”

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Castoroides ohioensis
Gastornis gigantea1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)0.9×
Coelodonta antiquitatis1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)0.9×
Rhamphorhynchus muensteri1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)0.9×
Dire wolf1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)0.9×
Protoceratops andrewsi2 m (6 ft 7 in)same size
Castoroides ohioensis2 m (6 ft 7 in)this page
Elasmotherium sibiricum2 m (6 ft 7 in)same size
Megaloceros giganteus2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)1.1×
Entelodon magnus2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)1.1×
Daeodon shoshonensis2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)1.1×

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