Arabian wolf
The Arabian wolf is a form of the wolf that is common in the Arabian Peninsula . At times it was treated as a separate subspecies Canis lupus arabs , but the populations are currently assigned to the Eurasian wolf ( C. l. Lupus ).
features
The Arabian wolf is the lightest form of the wolf and also the smallest, weighing only 18–20 kilograms. It has a short, thin, mostly brown fur and large ears.
Occurrence and way of life
The Arabian wolf is native to the desert areas of the Arabian Peninsula ( Saudi Arabia , Yemen and Oman ) as well as to the north-west bordering desert areas of Syria , Jordan and Israel .
He is considered seriously threatened. Today it has disappeared from most areas of its former range due to violent stalking.
When it comes to nutrition, the Arabian wolf is not picky. Its diet consists mainly of garbage, carrion and field crops, occasionally it also kills gazelles, hares, ibexes or domestic animals.
An analysis of the composition of 777 fecal samples in the southern Negev desert showed that 51.4% of the samples contained vegetable food, 37.2% human waste and 62.5% hair from cattle carcasses (Shalmon 1986). Only 6.3% contained native mammals such as gazelles and hares. In addition, small rodents belonged to the range of prey.
literature
- S. Biquand et al .: Fishes as a diet of wolf (Canis lupus arabs) in Saudi Arabia (English: 'Fish as a food of the wolf [...] in Saudi Arabia'). In: Mammalia , Vol. 58, No. 3, 1994, ISSN 1864-1547 , pp. 492-494.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Timothy C. Bray et al .: Genetic variation and subspecific status
- ^ Claudio Sillero-Zubiri: Family Canidae (Dogs). In: Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 , pp. 352-446, here p. 413.
- ^ Reuven Hefner, Eli Geffen: Group Size and Home Range of the Arabian Wolf (Canis Lupus) in Southern Israel . In: Journal of Mammalogy , Volume 80, No. 2, May 1999.
- ^ Reuven Hefner, Eli Geffen: Group Size and Home Range of the Arabian Wolf (Canis Lupus) in Southern Israel . In: Journal of Mammalogy , Volume 80, No. 2, May 1999. Page 617.