Arabian wolf

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Arabian wolf

Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[2]
(by UKWCT)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species:
C. lupus
Subspecies:
C. l. arabs
Trinomial name
Canis lupus arabs
Pocock, 1934[3]
Arabian wolf range

The Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs) is a

goitered, Dorcas, and mountain gazelles).[4]

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.[5] Pocock noted its smaller skull and smaller size.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] There has been admixture with domestic dogs, but it is unclear whether or not this is why this wolf is genetically closer to C. l. lupus.[8] This raises a concern of extinction by hybridization as Arabian wolves are more adapted to desert life than wolf/dog hybrids.[9]

In Israel and Palestine, there is some disagreement as to the exact taxonomic status of wolves. Some scientists hold that two subspecies of wolf are present- C. l. pallipes in the northern parts, and C. l. arabs in the south. They point out that the southern wolves are smaller than the northern wolves which are also darker and have longer fur.[10] Other scientists consider the wolf in the area to be C. l. arabs, with no real distinction between northern and southern wolves.[4] As in other countries, there is interbreeding with feral dogs, which adds an element of uncertainty.[11]

Admixture with other Canis species

In 2018,

wolves (from Saudi Arabia and Syria). One African golden wolf from the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula showed high admixture with the Middle Eastern grey wolves and dogs, highlighting the role of the land bridge between the African and Eurasian continents in canid evolution. The African golden wolf was found to be the descendant of a genetically admixed canid of 72% grey wolf and 28% Ethiopian wolf ancestry.[12]

Description

Wolf at Al Ain Zoo, the UAE

The Arabian wolf is one of the smallest subspecies of wolf. It stands on average 25–26 inches (64–66 cm) at shoulder height

Allen's Rule).[17]

They have a short thin coat which is usually a grayish beige color,[18] "... a mixture of black and slightly buffy grey" according to Pocock.[6] Melanistic (dark) Arabian wolves have been recorded in Saudi Arabia's western highlands.[19] Similar to other canines, the Arabian wolf does not have sweat glands and so it must control its body temperature by rapid panting, which causes evaporation from the lungs.[20] Occasionally the pads of the third and fourth toes are fused in the back; a feature which differentiates its tracks from a dog's.[21] It is distinguished from the Indian wolf by its smaller skull, smaller size and thinner coat.[18]

Behavior and Ecology

Female head and shoulders

Behavior

Arabian wolves do not usually live in large packs, and instead hunt in pairs or in groups of about three or four animals.[22][23] They are most frequently active around water sources at sunrise and mid-afternoon.[24] However, they more commonly travel at night. Due to food availability, Arabian wolves often associate with human settlements.[25]

Diet

Arabian wolves are mainly carnivorous, but also omnivorous and in some areas largely dependent on human garbage and excess products.

Bedouins and other farmers will often shoot, poison, or trap them.[28]

Other wildlife interactions

There is at least one case in Israel of a striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) associating and cooperating with a wolf pack. It is proposed that this is a case of mutualism: the hyena could benefit from the wolves' superior ability to hunt large, agile prey. The wolves could benefit from the hyena's superior sense of smell, to locate and dig out tortoises, to crack open large bones, and to tear open discarded food containers like tin cans.[29]

As with other wolf subspecies, Arabian wolves can facilitate a trophic cascade by suppressing smaller carnivores such as golden jackals (Canis aureus) and foxes (Genus Vulpes). This allows smaller herbivores to become more abundant.[30] Arabian wolves compete with other carnivores including the caracal (Caracal caracal) and Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr).[31]

Range and conservation

An Arabian wolf in the Arava desert, southern Israel

The Arabian wolf was once found throughout the Arabian Peninsula, but now lives only in small pockets in southern Israel,[32] Palestine,[33] southern and western Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Jordan,[34] Saudi Arabia,[35] and some parts of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.[36] It is rare throughout most of its range because of human persecution.[23]

In Oman, wolf populations have increased because of a ban on hunting, and they may naturally re-establish themselves in certain places within the region in the relatively near term.[37]

In Israel, between 100 and 150 Arabian wolves are found across the Negev and the Arava. The population is stable, as prey is abundant and much of the land is undeveloped and protected as nature reserves.[4][32] They are strongly protected under Israel's 1955 Wildlife Protection Law.[38]

The United Arab Emirates and Egypt both have a captive breeding program, and the wolf is protected in Oman and Israel, but in Saudi Arabia, the wolf is protected in places and still exists in places with sparse human activity.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Arabian Peninsula Red List" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Arabian Wolf Or Desert Wolf" (PDF). ukwct.org.uk.
  3. .
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ Pocock, R.I. (1934). "LXVI.—Preliminary diagnoses of some new races of South Arabian mammals". Journal of Natural History Series 10. 14 (84): 635. doi:10.1080/00222933408654939.
  6. ^
    ISSN 0374-5481
    .
  7. . Retrieved 29 January 2022 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ .
  9. ^ Chris Barichievy; Shayne Clugston; Robert Sheldon. "Field report : Association between an Arabian wolf and a domestic dog in central Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Canids.org. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  10. .
  11. .
  12. .
  13. ^ "Life and behaviour of wolves : The Arabian or Desert Wolf" (PDF). Ukwct.org.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  14. .
  15. .
  16. .
  17. .
  18. ^ .
  19. .
  20. ^ Harrington & Paquet 1983.
  21. .
  22. .
  23. ^ a b c Hefner, R.; Geffen, E. (1999). "Group Size and Home Range of the Arabian Wolf (Canis lupus) in Southern Israel". Journal of Mammalogy. 80 (2): 611–619. ISSN 1545-1542. doi:10.2307/1383305.
  24. ISSN 0140-1963
    .
  25. ^ .
  26. . PG. 186
  27. ^ S. Biquand; V. Urios; A. Baoug; C. Vila; J. Castroviejo; I. Nader (1994). "Fishes as diet of a wolf (Canis lupus arabs) in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Mammalia. 58 (3): 492–494. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-07-28. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  28. ^ a b "Arabian wolf distribution update from Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  29. S2CID 85957777
    .
  30. .
  31. .
  32. ^ .
  33. ^ Albaba, Imadeddin (2016). "The terrestrial mammals of Palestine: A preliminary checklist". International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies. 3 (4): 28–35.
  34. ^ Bunain, Fayez; Hatough, Aia; Ababaneh, Derar; Yousef, Mohamet & Amr, Zuhair (2001). "The Carnivores of the Northeastern Badia, Jordan" (PDF). Turkish Journal of Zoology. 25: 19–25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  35. ^ Bray, Timothy C.; Mohammed, Osama Badri; Butynski, Thomas M.; Wronski, Torsten; Sandouka, Mohamed Abdelkader; Alagaili, Abdulaziz Nasser (2014). "Genetic variation and subspecific status of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) in Saudi Arabia". Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 79 (6): 409–413. ISSN 1616-5047. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2014.06.005.
  36. ISSN 0140-1963. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  37. .
  38. ^ "Wildlife Protection Law, 1955". GOV.IL. Retrieved 2023-03-03.

Sources

  • Harrington, Fred; Paquet, Paul, eds. (1983). Wolves of the World: Perspectives of Behavior, Ecology and Conservation. Park Ridge, N.J.: Noyes Publications. .