“Mammals of Korea” is the first English-language guide on 127 mammal species on the Korean Peninsula
By = Xu Aiying and Kim Minji
Photos = Ministry of Environment
A government think tank on Jan. 2 released the first English-language guide to the 127 mammal species living on the Korean Peninsula.
“Mammals of Korea,” published by the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR), covers not only the animals’ ecology and major habitats but also research, conservation and the mammals’ fossils. This work gathered data from documents and Chosŏn tongmulji (조선동물지), a book on the ecology and habitats of mammals on the Korean Peninsula published in 2015 by North Korea’s Institute of National Science.
“We hope the publication of the guide will promote biodiversity in Korea by informing the world on the status of Korean mammals and information,” said Lee Byoung-yoon, director of the NIBR’s Plant Resources Division. “Moreover, we expect the guide to contribute to the establishment of the biosphere.”
The 127 species comprise eight orders and 32 families including 25 species of Carnivora, three of Lagomorph, one of Erinaceomorpha, 10 of Afrosoricida, 24 of Chiroptera and 37 of Rodentia.
The institute will distribute copies of “Mammals of Korea” to major libraries, think tanks, related public organizations and prominent universities overseas.
The guide is also available in PDF form on the NIBR website (www.nibr.go.kr).
xuaiy@korea.kr
The Korean hare is among the 127 species featured in “Mammals of Korea.”
