- · 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.
- · Korean Crevice Salamander silhouette: PhyloPic — Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · CC0 1.0 (Chiropterotriton)
- · Human silhouette: PhyloPic — NASA · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Korean Crevice Salamander
Karsenia koreana (Korean Crevice Salamander · Korean Crevice Salamander)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its body length of 4 cm is about 1.5 times the diameter of a Korean 500-won coin (about 2.65 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 It has a habit of hiding under mossy stones or rocks along mountain trails, and because it resembles Hynobius salamanders it only became known as a new species in 2005.
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 Korean Crevice Salamander is the only lungless salamander (family Plethodontidae) in Asia and is endemic to Korea. It is listed as Least Concern (LC, 2019) on the IUCN Red List.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It has a slender body with a yellowish tangerine tint on the back and lacks lungs, breathing through its skin. It has the nasolabial groove on the snout characteristic of the family Plethodontidae.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
The National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) explains that it lives in groups of around 10 individuals under rocks in mossy mountain areas. Because it looks similar to salamanders of the genus Hynobius, it was not described as a new species until 2005.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
A Korean endemic species (National List of Species of Korea), it hides under mossy stones in certain high mountain areas of Chungcheongnam-do and Jeollabuk-do.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2019) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61903/110101886
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 3R39Q
- • iucnredlist.org — 110101886
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000001368 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000001368
- • wikidata.org — Q1325600
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Chiropterotriton)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.