Beavers (Castoridae, Rodentia, Mammalia) from the Late Pleistocene Sites of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Fossil remains of the beaver, including skull fragments and hemimandibles, were first discovered in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the Chongphadae Cave, Hwangju County and Jothan Cave, Cholwon County. The fossil remains represent dental features of the Castor fiber (Castoridae, Rodentia, Mammalia). Radiocarbon dating of Layers 12 and 13 in Chongphadae Cave Site yielded 34 770–27 800 cal yr BP and 24 980–21 340 cal yr BP, respectively. The mammalian fauna of Layer 2 of Jothan Cave also indicates to the upper Late Pleistocene age. This discovery extends the geographic of the fossil beavers and fills a gap in the knowledge of the beavers occurrence and palaeoenvironment in the DPRK.