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Late Pleistocene small mammal community from the Chongphadae Cave Site (DPRK)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2025

Rye-Sun Choe ,
Kum-Sik Han ,
Jun-Chol Kanga ,
Myong-Won Ri ,
Ryong-Il Kanga ,
Hyon-Hui Yunc  and
Song-Il Kimd
Rye-Sun Choe*
Affiliation:
Institute of Human Evolution and Development History, Faculty of History, Kim Il Sung University, Taesong District, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kum-Sik Han
Affiliation:
Institute of Human Evolution and Development History, Faculty of History, Kim Il Sung University, Taesong District, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Jun-Chol Kanga
Affiliation:
Institute of Human Evolution and Development History, Faculty of History, Kim Il Sung University, Taesong District, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Myong-Won Ri
Affiliation:
Faculty of Foreign languages and Literature, Kim Il Sung University, Taesong District, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Ryong-Il Kanga
Affiliation:
Institute of Human Evolution and Development History, Faculty of History, Kim Il Sung University, Taesong District, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Hyon-Hui Yunc
Affiliation:
Department of Nature, Kim Jong Suk Teacher Training College, Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province
Song-Il Kimd
Affiliation:
Faculty of History, Sinpho Kim Hyong Gwon College of Education, Sinpho, South Hamgyong Province
*
Corresponding author: Rye-Sun Choe; Email: rs.choe0327@ryongnamsan.edu.kp
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Abstract

This paper treats new data about small mammals from the Chongphadae Cave Site, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Seven samples from Layers 8–10 and 12–15 included 161 tooth fossils of small mammals. The composition of small mammal assemblage is 3 orders, 5 families, and 11 species, which are 1 insectivore taxon, 1 lagomorph taxon, and 9 rodent taxa. The community development is distinguished into five stages (62.122–19.630 ka), and stage I is characterized by the dominance of xerophilous elements, including Myospalax epsilanus, Microtus brandti, and Cricetulus barabensis. Alternating between mesophilous and xerophilous elements, the last stage (stage IV) of community development is characterized by the existence of only mesophilous elements, such as Ochotona alpina and Erinaceus sp. The dynamics of small mammal communities of the Chongphadae Cave Site demonstrate that alternation between mesophilous and xerophilous elements during the Late Pleistocene contributed to the formation of the modern mosaic landscape consisting of forests, grasslands, and riverside.

Keywords

small mammalmesophilousxerophilousChongphadaeLate Pleistocenecommunity development

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Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 129 , January 2026 , pp. 117 - 123
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Quaternary Research Center.

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