[News Today] RARE SPECIES CAUGHT ON CAMERA

[LEAD]
Various rare species from the jewel beetle to a marten, a species small as a cat that hunts animals like wild boars and deer, have been sighted at National Parks. The latest footage will be used to identify and preserve habits of these wild species.

[REPORT]
The name Naejangsan Mountain means it holds a trove of treasures inside.

An insect crawling out of a tree in the summer sparkles like a gem. It's the jewel beetle, an endangered species that was used, alongside gilt bronze, to decorate horse saddles for the ruling class during the Silla dynasty era.

Song Jae-young / National Park Research Institute
They currently grow only at 4 locations including Naejangsan Nat'l Park. Adult jewel beetle can be seen from mid-July to early August.

A baby water deer gallops beside its mother. Not far away, a marten, a deer's natural enemy and another endangered species is marking territory with its scent.

Kim Eui-gyung / National Park Research Institute
Martens are omnivorous and like to eat the fruit of plants and honey. Their food source is plentiful including deer and smaller animals such as rats and snakes.

Chiaksan Mountain is frozen with accumulated snow. Inside a cave where animals find shelter from the cold, a red bat also known as the golden bat is taking a slumber.

Kim Eui-gyung / National Park Research Institute
Red bats live in broadleaf forest areas. In winter, they hibernate in caves or abandoned mine sites.

Various other rare wildlife including the fairy pitta, designated a natural monument and endangered species like the Korean leopard lizard as well as otters and leopard cats have been captured on camera.

The Korea National Park Service will use the latest footage to identify habits of these wild species and preserve their habitat.

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