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 is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

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

coypu The nutria () or coypu () (''Myocastor coypus'') is a herbivore, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent from South America. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' has since been included within Echimy ...

was introduced for farming in the 1990s, and the

muskrat The muskrat or common 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 various climates ...

was introduced in the early 20th century into the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

, and was subsequently first recorded in Korea in the

Tumen River The Tumen River (, , ; Korean pronunciation: tumaŋaŋ">Help:IPA/Korean">tumaŋaŋ, also known as the Tuman River or Duman River, is a long river that serves as part of the boundary between China (left shore), North Korea (right) and Russi ...

basin in 1965. The

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

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 extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...

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, and the rugged northeastern

Paektu Mountain Paektu Mountain or Baekdu Mountain () is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. In China, it is known as Changbai Mountain (). At , it is the tallest mountain in North Korea and Northeast China and the tallest mounta ...

region, are particularly known for their distinctive mammal species. Several species, including the Dsinezumi shrew, 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 Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

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

Manchurian wapiti The Manchurian wapiti (''Cervus canadensis xanthopygus'') is a putative subspecies of the wapiti native to East Asia. It may be identified as its own species, ''Cervus xanthopygus''. Description The Manchurian wapiti's coat is reddish brown dur ...

, 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 primaril ...

, are considered

natural monuments of South Korea Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life. Although humans are part ...

. __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 A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

*Mammals