Coastal Dung Beetle vs Lion

Onthophagus nigriventris compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• Coastal Dung Beetle is Least Concern while Lion is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Dung Beetle	Lion
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum	Arthropoda (节肢动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class	Insecta (昆蟲綱)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order	Coleoptera (鞘翅目)	Carnivora (食肉目)
Family	Scarabaeidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Onthophagus	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Onthophagus nigriventris	Panthera leo

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Dung Beetle and Lion share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (动物界)

Conservation Status

Coastal Dung Beetle

LC — Least Concern

Lion

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Dung Beetle	Lion
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	2.5 m
Average Weight	—	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Dung Beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Lion

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Coastal Dung Beetle

Onthophagus nigriventris, the coastal dung beetle, is a scarabaeid beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Scarabaeinae, recorded from coastal habitats in the United States. Dung beetles in the genus Onthophagus, comprising over 2,000 species and representing the most species-rich genus of beetles globally, play critical ecological roles as decomposers, burying mammal dung to provision nests in which females lay eggs and larvae develop. By transporting dung underground, Onthophagus beetles contribute to nutrient cycling, soil aeration, secondary seed dispersal from seeds present in dung, and reduction of parasite loads in livestock. The coastal association of O. nigriventris may reflect its association with marine mammal haul-out sites, seabird colonies, or the dung of coastal wildlife such as deer, raccoons, and feral animals in beach and dune systems. The species is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Dung beetle communities have declined significantly in parts of North America and Europe due to widespread veterinary use of ivermectin and related antiparasitic drugs in livestock, which persist in dung and are lethal to beetle larvae developing within treated dung pats.

Lion

非洲最大的野生猫科动物，体重可达250公斤，是撒哈拉以南非洲稀树草原和草地中唯一营群居生活的猫科动物。雄狮以其标志性的鬃毛著称。作为顶级捕食者，狮子调节草食动物种群，维持生态系统平衡。因栖息地丧失和人兽冲突被列为易危物种。