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Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve
The Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve is a breeding and reacclimation center administered by the Israel Nature Reserves & National Parks Authority, situated in the Southern Arava near Yotvata. The Yotvata Hai-Bar is the desert counterpart of the Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve which operates in the country's Northern Mediterranean forest. Endangered and locally extinct animals mentioned in the Bible are bred here for possible reintroduction to the Negev desert. The Asian wild ass has already been reintroduced in the Makhtesh Ramon area of the wild. In addition the park has some rare desert animals, which are not native to Israel, like the scimitar oryx and the North African ostrich. Some of the species bred here are: *Arabian oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') *Scimitar oryx (''Oryx dammah'') *Red-necked ostrich (''Struthio camelus camelus'') *Addax (''Addax nasomaculatus'') *Asian wild ass (hybrids of ''Equus hemionus kulan'' and '' Equus hemionus onager'') *Somali wild ass (''Equus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asian Wild Ass
The onager (; ''Equus hemionus'' ), A new species called the kiang (''E. kiang''), a Tibetan relative, was previously considered to be a subspecies of the onager as ''E. hemionus kiang'', but recent molecular studies indicate it to be a distinct species, having diverged from the closest relative of the Mongolian wild ass's ancestor less than 500,000 years ago. Subspecies Five widely recognized subspecies of the onager include: A sixth possible subspecies, the Gobi khulan (''E. h. luteus'', also called the ''chigetai'' or ''dziggetai'') has been proposed, but may be synonymous with ''E. h. hemionus''. Debates over the taxonomic identity of the onager occurred until 1980. , four living subspecies and one extinct subspecies of the Asiatic wild ass have been recognized. The Persian onager was formerly known as ''Equus onager'', as it was thought to be a distinct species. Characteristics Onagers are the most horse-like of wild asses. They are short-legged compared to horses, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Persian Leopard
''Panthera pardus tulliana'' is a leopard subspecies native to the Iranian Plateau and surrounding areas encompassing Turkey, the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan. Since 2016, it has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the wild population is estimated at less than 1,000 mature individuals. Common names used for ''P. p. tulliana'' include Persian leopard, Caucasian leopard, Anatolian leopard, Asia Minor leopard and Balochistan leopard. Taxonomy ''Felis tulliana'' was the scientific name proposed by Achille Valenciennes in 1856, who described a skin and skull from a leopard killed near Smyrna, in western Turkey. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several naturalists described leopard zoological specimens from the Middle East: *''Felis pardus tulliana'' was proposed by Richard Lydekker in 1899 after examining a leopard skin from the Caucasus. *''Felis ciscaucasica'' was proposed by Konstantin Alekse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Griffon Vulture
The Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It may also be known as the Griffon vulture, though it may be used for the genus as a whole. It is not to be confused with Rüppell's griffon vulture (''Gyps rueppellii''). It is closely related to the white-backed vulture (''Gyps africanus''). Description The griffon vulture is long with a wingspan. In the nominate race the males weigh and females typically weigh , while in the Indian subspecies (''G. f. fulvescens''), the vultures average . Extreme adult weights have been reported from , the latter likely a weight attained in captivity. Hatched naked, it is a typical Old World vulture in appearance, with a very white head, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. The buff body and wing coverts contrast with the dark flight feathers. Distribution and habitat In Italy, the species managed to survive only in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dorcas Gazelle
The dorcas gazelle (''Gazella dorcas''), also known as the ariel gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The dorcas gazelle stands about at the shoulder, with a head and body length of and a weight of . The numerous subspecies survive on vegetation in grassland, steppe, wadis, mountain desert and in semidesert climates of Africa and Arabia. About 35,000–40,000 exist in the wild. Taxonomy and evolution The scientific name of the dorcas gazelle is ''Gazella dorcas''. It is a member of the genus ''Gazella'' and the family Bovidae. The species was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'' in 1758. Although zoologist Theodor Haltenorth considered ''G. d. pelzelnii'' to be an independent species, the following six subspecies are identified: *''G. d.'' subsp. ''beccarii'' De Beaux, 1931 – Eritrean dorcas gazelle *''G. d.'' subsp. ''dorcas'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – Egyptian dorcas gazelle *''G. d.'' subsp. ''isabella'' Gray, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arabian Wolf
The Arabian wolf (''Canis lupus arabs'') is a subspecies of gray wolf native to the Arabian Peninsula, the Negev Desert, the Sinai Peninsula, and Jordan. It is the smallest wolf subspecies, and a desert-adapted subspecies that normally lives in small groups. It is omnivorous, eating small to medium-sized prey. Taxonomy Once thought to be synonymous with ''C. l. pallipes'' (the Indian wolf), the Arabian wolf was designated ''Canis lupus arabs'' by the British zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock in 1934. Pocock noted its smaller skull and smaller size. In the third edition of ''Mammal Species of the World'' published in 2005, the mammalogist W. Christopher Wozencraft listed under the wolf ''Canis lupus'' the subspecies ''Canis lupus arabs''. A 2014 study suggests that genetically the Arabian wolf is closer to ''C. l. lupus'' than it is to ''C. l. pallipes'' and supports the subspecies designation ''C. l. arabs''. There has been admixture with domestic dogs, but it is unclear whether ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Cheetah
The Southeast African cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus jubatus'') is the nominate cheetah subspecies native to East and Southern Africa. The Southern African cheetah lives mainly in the lowland areas and deserts of the Kalahari, the savannahs of Okavango Delta, and the grasslands of the Transvaal region in South Africa. In Namibia, cheetahs are mostly found in farmlands. Taxonomy The Southern African cheetah was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in his book ''Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen'' (''The Mammals illustrated as in Nature with Descriptions''), published in 1775. Schreber described the species on basis of a specimen from the Cape of Good Hope. It is therefore the nominate subspecies. Subpopulations have been called "South African cheetah" and "Namibian cheetah." Following Schreber's description, other naturalists and zoologists also described cheetah specimens from many parts of Southern and East A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arabian Leopard
The Arabian leopard (''Panthera pardus nimr'') is a leopard subspecies native to the Arabian Peninsula. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1996 as fewer than 200 wild individuals were estimated to be alive in 2006. The population is severely fragmented. Subpopulations are isolated and not larger than 50 mature individuals. The population is thought to decline continuously. The Arabian leopard is the smallest leopard subspecies. It was tentatively affirmed as a distinct subspecies by genetic analysis of a single wild leopard from South Arabia, which appeared most closely related to the African leopard. Taxonomic history ''Felis pardus nimr'' was the scientific name proposed by Wilhelm Hemprich and Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg in 1830 for a leopard from Arabia. ''Panthera pardus jarvisi'', proposed by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1932, was based on a leopard skin from the Sinai Peninsula. In the early 1990s, a phylogeographic analysis was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arabian Sand Cat
The sand cat (''Felis margarita'') is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. With its sandy to light grey fur, it is well camouflaged in a desert environment. Its head-and-body length ranges from with a long tail. Its short ears are set low on the sides of the head, aiding detection of prey moving underground. The long hair covering the soles of its paws insulates its pads against the extremely hot and cold temperatures in deserts. The first sand cat known to science was discovered in the Algerian Sahara and described in 1858. To date, it has been recorded in several disjunct locations in Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. In Central Asia, it was first recorded in the Karakum Desert in 1925. The large gap between these two regions of its global range was partially closed in 1948, when a sand cat skin was found in an oasis of the Rub' al Khali in Oman. It is discontinuously ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caracal
The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth. Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, while the ventral parts are lighter with small reddish markings. It reaches at the shoulder and weighs . It was first scientifically described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. Three subspecies are recognised. Typically nocturnal, the caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. It is territorial, and lives mainly alone or in pairs. The caracal is a carnivore that typically preys upon small mammals, birds, and rodents. It can leap higher than and catch birds in midair. It stalks its prey until it is within of it, after which it runs it down and kills its prey with a bite to the throat or to the back of the neck. Both sexes b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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