Mammals of Korea

 The Korean peninsula is among the most diverse landscapes on earth ranging from a complex seacoast of rocky promontories and beaches to some of the most rugged alpine peaks. A rapidly growing population challenges the conservation of biodiversity on the land and the seas across and surrounding the peninsula. Historically the home of tiger and leopards, domestic and international efforts focus on the conservation of mammals, which serve as umbrella species that encompass the needs of many other life forms.

Mammals of Korea, the first comprehensive treatment of mammals of this peninsula, endeavors to bring the biodiversity of the Korean peninsula and surrounding waters to an international readership through colorful and stunning hand drawn images and by the use of detailed text from three professional mammalogists. The growing population in Korea has been taken by a recent wave of environmental awareness that parallels a rapidly increasing ecotourism industry.

The authors, Yeong-Seok Jo of Korea’s National Institute of Biological Resources, John T. Baccus of the Texas Tech University’s Department of Natural Resources, and John L. Koprowski of the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources & the Environment, team to produce a comprehensive volume that summarizes the important natural history of the poorly known mammalian diversity of this splendid region in a richly illustrated effort that will be attractive to the interested layperson, the ecotourist, and the biological scholar.

Introductory chapters introduce the physical geography of Korea, diversity of habitats on the peninsula, outstanding wildlife viewing locales, methods of observing and studying mammals, and history of mammalogy in Korea.

Page-long species accounts detail the distribution, habitat, food habits, breeding seasons, conservation status, and basic biology of each of the 127 mammals while accompanying color artwork highlight distinctive features and field sign.