Amur Leopard Panthera pardus orientalis Facing Forward 1761px

Approximately 100 species of mammal are known to inhabit, or to have recently inhabited, the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

and its surrounding waters. This includes a few species that were introduced in the 20th century; the

coypu The nutria (''Myocastor coypus''), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' is now included within Echimyidae, the family of t ...

was introduced for farming in the 1990s, and the

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...

was introduced in the early 20th century into the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...

, and was subsequently first recorded in Korea in the

Tumen River The Tumen River, also known as the Tuman River or Duman River (), is a long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea and Russia, rising on the slopes of Mount Paektu and flowing into the Sea of Japan. The river has ...

basin in 1965. The

Siberian tiger The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is a population of the tiger subspecies ''Panthera tigris tigris'' native to the Russian Far East, Northeast China and possibly North Korea. It once ranged throughout the Korean Peninsula, but currently inhabit ...

is the national animal of South Korea. The

and

Amur leopard The Amur leopard (''Panthera pardus orientalis'') is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and northern China. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as in 2007, only 19–26 wild leopar ...

have most likely been

extirpated Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...

from Korea, but are still included in standard lists of Korean mammals. Most Korean mammal species are found only in a small part of Korea. The large southeastern island of

Jeju Jeju may refer to: * Jeju Island (Jejudo), an island near South Korea * Jeju Province (formerly transliterated Cheju), a province of South Korea comprising Jejudo **Jeju City, the biggest city on Jejudo **Jeju dog, a dog native to Jejudo ** Jeju l ...

, and the rugged northeastern

Paektu Mountain Paektu Mountain (), also known as Baekdu Mountain and in China as Changbai Mountain ( zh, s=长白山, t=長白山; Manchu: Golmin Šanggiyan Alin), is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. At , it is the highest moun ...

region, are particularly known for their distinctive mammal species. Several species, including the

Dsinezumi shrew The Dsinezumi shrew (''Crocidura dsinezumi''), also known as the Japanese white-toothed shrew, is a species of musk shrew found in Japan and on Korea's Jeju Island. It is widespread, and considered to be of "least concern" by the IUCN The In ...

, are found only on Jeju, while many other species, such as the

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

, are absent or extirpated from there. Some mammals, such as the

Manchurian wapiti The Manchurian wapiti (''Cervus canadensis xanthopygus'') is a subspecies of the wapiti native to East Asia. Description The Manchurian wapiti's coat is reddish brown during summer, and brownish gray in winter. It has dark hairs on the neck and ...

, are considered

natural monuments of North Korea Natural monuments of North Korea is a natural monuments system that designates natural resources that are designated as significant to the North korean government. A total of 469 natural monument entries have been designated from no.1 to no. 935. ...

, while others, such as the

spotted seal The spotted seal (''Phoca largha''), also known as the larga seal or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. It is primarily ...

, are considered

natural monuments of South Korea The natural monuments of South Korea constitute a natural heritage system designated by the South Korean government according to the Natural Heritage Protection Law (문화재보호법) that considers significant natural resources, such as animals ...

. __TOC__

Order Artiodactyla: even-toed ungulates

Order Carnivora: carnivores

Order Cetacea: whales

Order Erinaceomorpha: hedgehogs

Order Soricomorpha: shrews and moles

Order Chiroptera: bats

Order Lagomorpha: lagomorphs

Order Primates: prosimians and simians

Order Rodentia: rodents

Notes

References and further reading

* * * * * {{Featured list

Mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

*Mammals