Elephants are not native to the Korean peninsula today. These magnificent creatures, known for their large size and long trunks, currently inhabit regions such as Africa and Southeast Asia. As a result, they may seem unrelated to the Korean Peninsula. However, looking back into the past reveals a different story. Fossils of elephants and their relatives, classified under the order Proboscidea, have been discovered in various parts of the Korean Peninsula. This article will explore some of these discoveries.
1. Proboscidean Fossils in North Korea
The first proboscidean fossil in Korea was found in present-day North Korea, specifically in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province. In 1929, during the Japanese colonial period, a tooth fossil was discovered and studied by Japanese researchers. They noted that it resembled the teeth of the extinct Asian straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon namadicus). Later, Professor Fujii Takai from Tokyo Imperial University concluded that the fossil was similar to the Naumann elephant (Palaeoloxodon naumanni), a small elephant species that once lived in Japan and measured about three meters in length.
In 1937, Professor Takai also reported another Palaeoloxodon naumanni tooth fossil from Jangyeon County, Hwanghae Province. Based on these findings, Japanese scholars hypothesized that primitive elephants from India may have migrated to Japan via the Korean Peninsula. At the time, Korea and the Japanese archipelago were connected, allowing the migration of various mammals, including elephants. The fossils discovered during this period were sent to Tokyo Imperial University in 1938 by Miyamoto Hiroshi of the Tokyo Military Police.
Apart from these elephants, fossils of more primitive proboscideans, specifically from the Gomphotheriidae family, have also been discovered in North Korea. Gomphotheres first appeared about 33 million years ago and had a wide distribution across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America, living until around 12,000 years ago. Their fossils have been found in India, China, and Mongolia.
In 1936, a partial lower jaw of a primitive proboscidean was discovered in the Kidong Formation of Myongchon County, North Hamgyong Province. The fossil was initially described by Professor Jiro Makiyama of Kyoto University in 1938, who named it Bunolophodon yokotii. However, this name is no longer valid. In 1939, geologist Fujii Takai reclassified the fossil as Bunolophodon annectens, and in 2005, it was reassigned to the genus Gomphotherium, making its current classification Gomphotherium annectens.
More recent research by North Korean scholars includes a 2021 study on a newly discovered Gomphotheriidae fossil from Myongchon County, North Hamgyong Province. Though its exact classification is uncertain, North Korean scientists identified it as a member of the Gomphotheriidae family based on the shape of its teeth and the position of jaw sutures. They speculated that it could also belong to the Gomphotherium genus. The fossil has since been designated as a North Korean natural monument.
2. Proboscidean Fossils in South Korea
What about proboscidean fossils in South Korea? While several have been found in North Korea, similar discoveries have also been made in South Korea. In 2012, a mammoth molar fragment fossil was discovered on Sangwangdeungdo Island in Buan country, North Jeolla Province. Though only a partial tooth fragment, it provided valuable insight into the distribution of mammoths in East Asia. Additionally, during the Japanese colonial period, another woolly mammoth fossil was discovered along the coast near Baengnyeongdo Island, Incheon Metropolitan City. This fossil, along with the Palaeoloxodon naumanni fossils mentioned earlier, was reportedly sent to Tokyo Imperial University. However, little research has been conducted on these specimens since then.
Unlike North Korea, South Korea has not yielded fossils of primitive proboscideans. Instead, fossils of more modern elephants, such as mammoths, have been found. Besides the mammoth fossil from the Yellow Sea, an elephant tusk fossil was discovered in the Durubong Cave in Cheongju. The Durubong Cave system consists of several caves, including Cave No. 2, Cave No. 9, Cave No. 15, Hongsoogul, Saegul, and Cheonyeogul. The elephant tusk fossil, measuring 61.8 cm in length, was found in Saegul. It likely belonged to an extinct relative of the modern Asian elephant (Elephas maximus).
Interestingly, traces of human modification were found on this tusk. This suggests that early humans either hunted this elephant or scavenged its carcass and processed the tusk to create tools. The cave has been dated to approximately 100,000 years ago. While this may seem like an incredibly long time from a human perspective, it is relatively recent in geological terms. This means that elephants lived on the Korean Peninsula until fairly recent times.
In addition to tusk and tooth fossils, South Korea has also yielded proboscidean footprint fossils. These were discovered in the Sagyeri coastal area, Jeju Island. The site contains fossilized footprints of Paleolithic humans, horses, various hoofed animals, and birds, dating from approximately 25,000 to 4,000 years ago. Among these, footprints believed to belong to a mammoth were identified. The discovery, made in 2004, was significant because it was the first-ever evidence of proboscidean footprints in Korea. Since Korea had no researchers specializing in proboscidean footprints at the time, international experts, including Japanese scholars experienced in studying both modern elephant footprints and fossilized elephant footprints in Japan, were consulted. After extensive research, it was confirmed that the footprints belonged to a mammoth.
3. Conclusion
Elephants no longer inhabit Korea, but fossil records show that they lived in the region until relatively recent times. Their disappearance was likely due to climate and environmental changes. Since the climate continues to change even today, it is intriguing to wonder what kinds of animals might inhabit the Korean Peninsula in the future.
References
Han, K. S., So, K. S., Choe, R. S., & Kim, S. C. (2021). First occurrence of a gomphotheriid (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Paleontological Journal, 55(10), 1186-1192.
Lee, Y.-N., & Tomida, Y. (2005). A new investigation of Bunolophodon yokotii Makiyama, 1938 from the Kidong Formation, Myeongcheon, Hamgyeongbuk-do, North Korea. Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea, 21, 157–165. (in Korean with English abstract)
Lee, Y. J., Woo, J. Y., Ha, N. S., & Jo, T. S. (1999). An archaeological study of artifacts excavated from the Durubong Saegul and Cheonyeogul sites in Cheongwon. Prehistory and Ancient History, (12), 101-189.
Makiyama, J. (1938). Japonic Proboscidea. Memoirs of the College of Science, Kyoto Imperial University. Ser. B, 14(1), 1-59.
Takai, F. (1959). On Cenozoic vertebrates in Korea. International Geology Review, 1(10), 47-51.
Takai, T. (1937). Regarding the ivory discovered in the coastal waters near Baengnyeongdo, Hwanghae Province, Joseon. Journal of Geology, 44(523), 304-305.
Yang, S. Y. (2023). Discovery of mammoth tracks and the age of the hominid tracks in Jeju Island. Journal of the Geological Society of Korea, 59(3), 527-533.
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