- · Grid units represent actual meters (m); human and animals are drawn to the exact same scale with original silhouette aspect ratios preserved.
- · When a size range is recorded (e.g. 1–1.6m), the lower bound is used for scale comparison.
- · Copris tripartitus silhouette: PhyloPic — Edwin Price · CC BY 4.0 (Hylamorpha elegans)
- · Human silhouette: PhyloPic — NASA · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Copris tripartitus
Copris tripartitus (Copris tripartitus · ヒメダイコクコガネ)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
🇰🇷 Class II endangered wildlife (Korea)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum body length of 19 mm is similar to the diameter of a Korean 10-won coin (18 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 In June 2026, it was reported that Jeju Technopark released artificially bred Copris tripartitus into habitats on Jeju Island. It is an insect that decomposes herbivore dung and keeps the ground clean.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Copris tripartitus is an insect that digs burrows beneath mammal dung such as cow and horse dung. It is a Class II endangered wildlife (Korea).
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It is 13–19 mm long, glossy black, with fine longitudinal grooves on its elytra. Males have an ivory-shaped horn on the forehead.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Adults are seen from April to October and are mainly active before midsummer. They dig burrows beneath dung to carry it down for food or roll it into round brood balls, and females lay eggs in the dung balls.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is a Class II endangered wildlife (Korea). Although distributed nationwide, it is seen more often on southwestern coastal islands than inland, and has been found in Gangwon-do, Incheon, Jeollanam-do, and Jeju Island.
📚 Sources & References
- • 멸종위기 야생생물 Ⅱ급 — 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000212952 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000212952
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • Korean protection status: Class II endangered wildlife (Korea)
- • catalogueoflife.org — 7ZMN9
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000212952 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000212952
- • wikidata.org — Q14880527
- • nie.re.kr — view.do
- • bok.or.kr — contents.do
- • newsseoul.co.kr — 1065589836234273
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Edwin Price · CC BY 4.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Hylamorpha elegans)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.