Habitat loss from forest development and road collisions threaten the wide-ranging carnivore
Deceptively cute with its yellow-collared neck and dark face, the yellow-throated marten — a predator beneath that charming exterior — has been named South Korea's endangered species of the month for June.
The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy announced Monday that it has designated the yellow-throated marten as June's featured endangered wildlife. The animal is classified as a Class II endangered species under Korean law.
A medium-sized mammal, the yellow-throated marten has a dark brown face and body with a distinctive yellow patch of fur around the neck. It measures roughly 60 centimeters in body length and weighs between 3 and 6 kilograms.
Fur on the soles of its feet makes it an agile climber, allowing it to move nimbly across slippery surfaces and navigate all types of forest terrain — ridgelines, slopes and valleys alike. The animal uses rock crevices, hollow dead trees and the spaces beneath large tree roots as shelter.
Yellow-throated martens typically live in groups of two to five and feed mainly on fruit, but they also hunt rodents, birds and roe deer, and have even been known to take down wild boar piglets. Groups sometimes cooperate to bring down larger prey.
Found in forests across the Korean Peninsula — except on Jeju and some other islands — the yellow-throated marten roams a home range of roughly 60 kilometers, making habitat connectivity critical to its survival. Forest fragmentation caused by development and a rising number of road kills have pushed the species toward endangerment.
Under the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, anyone who captures, collects, damages or kills a Class II endangered species such as the yellow-throated marten without a permit faces up to three years in prison or a fine ranging from 3 million won (about $2,170) to 30 million won.
thlee@heraldcorp.com
