Korean fox

The Korean fox (Vulpes vulpes peculiosa), also known as the Korean red fox, is a subspecies of red fox that lives in Korea, Russia and Northeast China. It has a body length of 66–68 cm, a tail length of 42–44 cm and a weight of 4.1–5.9 kg.

Korean fox
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Vulpes
Species:
V. vulpes
Subspecies:
V. v. peculiosa
Trinomial name
Vulpes vulpes peculiosa
Kishida, 1924
Synonyms[1]
  • Vulpes kiyomassai Kishida & Mori, 1929

Range

Prior to the 1960s, the Korean fox was found abundantly throughout Korea. It was found in a wide variety of habitats in the north-eastern, north-western, central and southern Korean peninsula. After the early 1960s, it was determined that populations of the fox were all but eliminated in South Korea. Its populations are also declining in the north and north-eastern areas, found now only in isolated mountain regions. It is most common in lowland forested areas, preferring edge habitats with brushy cover near a stream or river. They have also been found in Korean cemeteries, as they are located near forest edges.[2]

Ecologic status

The Korean fox is considered endangered in its native range. Its decline in abundance has been caused by several factors. There is a high demand for fox fur in the clothing industry, as it is used to make mufflers. This has resulted in extensive illegal hunting of the animal.[2] A nationwide rodenticide program led to secondary poisoning of the predator. On top of this, habitat loss and fragmentation has negatively affected the fox population.[3]

A study was done in 2012 to determine the genetic identity of the subspecies V. v. peculiosa to optimize re-introduction efforts since use of original South Korean individuals is practically impossible as no pure breed remains. It was found that the Korean red fox is most closely related to Eurasian and North pacific red foxes. Re-introduction would have the best chance to improve abundance if individuals from North Korea, China, or Russia were used.[3]

Reintroduction program with captive animals from the Seoul Zoo has been run at Sobaeksan National Park to reestablish the local population of 50 by 2020.[4]

An experimental reintroduction was conducted within the Korean Demilitarized Zone.[5]

See also

References
  1. Vulpes vulpes peculiosa – Wikispecies. Species.wikimedia.org. Retrieved on 2012-12-29.
  2. Won, Changman; Smith, Kimberly G. (March 1999). "History and current status of mammals of the Korean Peninsula". Mammal Review. 29 (1): 3–36. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2907.1999.00034.x. ISSN 0305-1838.
  3. Yu, Jeong-Nam; Han, Sang-Hoon; Kim, Bang-Hwan; Kryukov, Alexey P.; Kim, Soonok; Lee, Byoung-Yoon; Kwak, Myounghai (2012). "Insights into Korean Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Based on Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Sequence Variation in East Asia". Zoological Science. 29 (11): 753–760. doi:10.2108/zsj.29.753. PMID 23106560.
  4. Lee Sun-young, 2012, Foxes released into wild on Sobaeksan, The Korea Herald
  5. South Korean fox crossed into North Korea, Seoul says


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