Red-tailed Flesh Fly vs Alpine Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Red-tailed Flesh Fly Alpine Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis Geotrupes alpinus
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Sarcophagidae Geotrupidae
Size 10-14 mm 12-18 mm
Habitat Underground Grasslands
Diet Dung Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Worldwide Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Red-tailed Flesh Fly

A large gray flesh fly with a distinctive red-tipped abdomen. It deposits live larvae on meat, wounds, and feces.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most flies, females give birth to live larvae rather than laying eggs.

Alpine Dung Beetle

A sturdy, dark dung beetle of high-altitude pastures grazed by livestock. It buries dung underground where its larvae develop.

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Did You Know?

A single pair can bury a dung ball several times their own body weight in one night.