North African hartebeest
| North African hartebeest | ||||||||||||
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North African hartebeest at London Zoo, photograph from 1895 |
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| Alcelaphus buselaphus | ||||||||||||
| ( Pallas , 1766) |
The North African hartebeest ( Alcelaphus buselaphus ) is the extinct nominate form of the genus of the red hartebeest ( Alcelaphus ).
description
The North African hartebeest reached a head-trunk length of 150 to 244 centimeters. The shoulder height was 109 to 150 centimeters. The tail was between 30 and 70 centimeters long. The weight was between 100 and 225 kilograms. The color of the fur was light reddish yellow, the color of the tail was blackish, and the color of the tips of the ears was brownish. The iris was yellow. The hooves and lyre-shaped horns were pale horn-colored. The horns were developed in both sexes.
This species was already mentioned in the ancient writings of Aristotle , Pliny the Elder and Aeschylus . The name Yachmur mentioned in the Bible ( Deuterium | 14: 5) , which is often translated as fallow deer , probably refers more to this antelope. After horns of this antelope species were found in a tomb in Abadiyeh, Egypt , it is believed that it had a mythological significance for the Egyptians .
distribution
In the 19th century, the last distribution area of the North African hartebeest was the High Atlas in Morocco and the southern mountains north of the Sahara in Algeria . In ancient times it was also at home in Libya , Egypt and probably in Palestine and Arabia .
Way of life
The North African hartebeest lived in large herds . It most likely fed on desert vegetation as well as leaves, bark, and grass. She was mostly active in the cooler time of the day, especially in the early morning and in the evening hours. Their natural predators were barber lions , hyenas and cheetahs . Therefore, a guard raised the alarm when a predator approached. She was very agile in climbing hills. Usually one or two boys were born.
die out
When the French Morocco and Algeria occupied , they established veritable massacre on among the animals. For them it was a pastime and a sport shooting every antelope they spotted. In 1902 the last specimen was shot in Algeria. At about the same time, a few specimens were in human care. London Zoo kept a female from 1883 to 1897 . Another animal lived at London Zoo from 1906 to 1907. Worldwide, the last specimen (a female) died on November 9, 1923 after living in the former Parisian zoo Jardin des Plantes for 18 years . In 1925 there is said to have been an alleged sighting near Missour in Morocco. However, this has never been confirmed.
literature
- David Day: The Doomsday Book of Animals . Ebury Press, London 1981, ISBN 0-670-27987-0 .
- Walton Beacham: World Wildlife Fund Guide to Extinct Species of Modern Times . 1997, ISBN 0-933833-40-7 .
- John Edwards: London Zoo from old photographs 1852-1914 . Edward Charles, London, ISBN 0-9527099-0-2 .
Web links
- Alcelaphus buselaphus ssp. buselaphus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Antelope Specialist Group, 1996. Retrieved on 26 May of 2007.