- · 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.
- · Short-barbel gudgeon silhouette: PhyloPic — Douglas Teles da Rosa · CC0 1.0 (Tanichthys albonubes)
- · Human silhouette: PhyloPic — NASA · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Short-barbel gudgeon
Gobiobotia brevibarba (Short-barbel gudgeon · サメガシラ)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
🇰🇷 Class II endangered wildlife (Korea)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its body length of 12 cm is slightly shorter than a ballpoint pen (about 14 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Its habitat has shrunk sharply as riffles have disappeared due to river construction and dam building, linking local stream-maintenance news directly to this fish.
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
The Short-barbel gudgeon is a small cyprinid freshwater fish endemic to Korea that lives only in fast riffles strewn with large stones.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
The front part of its body is a thick cylinder with a flat belly, a pointed snout, and 4 pairs of barbels around the mouth. Its body is pale yellow with broad dark blotches along the back.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds on aquatic insects such as caddisfly, mayfly, and midge larvae, and lays eggs among gravel in April and May, with individuals 2 years and older taking part in spawning.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is a Class II endangered wildlife (Korea) species and a Korean endemic living in the Imjingang, Hangang, and Geumgang rivers. It was first designated as a Specific Wild Fauna and Flora species in 1996.
📚 Sources & References
- • 멸종위기 야생생물 Ⅱ급 — 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000057566 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000057566
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • Korean protection status: Class II endangered wildlife (Korea)
- • catalogueoflife.org — 3GPB3
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000057566 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000057566
- • wikidata.org — Q5563590
- • fishbase.se — Gobiobotia-brevibarba.html
- • species.nibr.go.kr — list
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Douglas Teles da Rosa · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Tanichthys albonubes)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.