Biodiversity of North Korea

BIODIVERSITY OF NORTH KOREA

ENDEMIC SPECIES

1. Korean Skink (Plestiodon coreensis)

Plestiodon is the name for a genus of lizards formerly referred to as Eumeces, except those now placed in Mesoscincus.

Plestiodon coreensis is a species endemic to North Korea.

They are secretive, agile animals with a cylindrical body covered with smooth, shiny scales.

2. Korean Taimen (Hucho ishikawai)

Hucho ishikawae, the Korean taimen, is found in rivers in North Korea (most notably the Am-nok, Dok-ro, Weon-ju and Jang-jin Rivers).

Monitoring of the species has been made very difficult because of the lack of access to the areas in which this species occurs.

3. Goby (Gymnogobius bungei)

Gymnogobius is a genus of gobies found in marine, brackish and fresh waters of Asia and the western Pacific Ocean.

Gymnogobius bungei is a species of gobi which is only found in the North Korean coast.

4. Jumping Spider (Sitticus penicilloides)

Sitticus is a spider genus of the Salticidae family (jumping spiders).

Sitticus pencicilloides is a species of jumping spider endemic to North Korea.

5. Korean Rhubarb (Rheum coreanum)

Korean Rhubarb is a plant species which is found only in North Korea.

Its has a long stem that can be cooked and eaten as a fruit.

EXTINCT SPECIES

Japanese Sea Lion (Zalophus japonicas)

The Japanese sea lion is an aquatic mammal that became extinct in the 1970s.

They inhabited the Sea of Japan, especially around the coastal areas of the Japanese Archipelago and the Korean Peninsula.

They generally bred on sandy beaches which were open and flat, but sometimes in rocky areas.

Currently, several stuffed specimens can be found in Japan and in the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, the Netherlands, bought by Philipp Franz von Siebold. The British Museum possesses a pelt and four skull specimens.

ENDANGERED SPECIES

1. Little Tube-nosed Bat (Murina aurata)

The little tube-nosed bat is a species of bat.

An adult Little Tube-Nosed Bat has a body length of 4.0-4.6 cm, a tail length of 2.8-3.6 cm, and a wing length of 3.0-3.3 cm.

The species is found across South and East Asia, from the Indian subcontinent to the Korean Peninsula.

Murina aurata is included in the IUCN Red list of endangered species.

2. Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

The bowhead whale is a species of the right whale family Balaenidae, in suborder Mysticeti and genus Balaena.

A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to 20 m (66 ft) in length. This thick-bodied species can weigh 75 tonnes.

The bowhead was an early whaling target. Its population was severely reduced before a 1966 moratorium. Its population has since recovered and is now rated "Least Concern".

3. Orca (Orcinus orca)

The killer whale (Orcinus orca), also referred to as the orca whale or orca, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family.

The IUCN currently assesses the orca's conservation status as data deficient because of the likelihood that two or more killer whale types are separate species.

Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to prey depletion, habitat loss, pollution (by PCBs), capture for marine mammal parks, and conflicts with fisheries.

4. Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus)

The Amur leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia, the Jilin Province of northeast China and North Korea.

It is classified as Critically Endangered since 1996 by IUCN.

According to WWF, extensive habitat loss and conflict with humans make the situation concerning the Amur leopard critical.

It is hunted largely for its beautiful spotted fur.

5. Dhole (Cuon alpinus)

The dhole is a canid, native to Central and Southeast Asia.

The dhole is a highly social animal, living in large clans without rigid dominance hierarchies and containing multiple breeding females.

It is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, as populations are decreasing and estimated at less than 2,500 adults.

Factors contributing to this decline include habitat loss, loss of prey, competition with other species, persecution, and disease transfer from domestic dogs.

Presented by

Jibin Saju Joseph Mohammad Shaban Sujith Sunilkumar Jayakumari Midhun Karimpanoor Rajan

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