Wildlife of Iraq

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The wildlife of

Euphrates river. The western part of the country is mainly desert and some semi-arid regions. As of 2001, seven of Iraq's mammal species and 12 of its bird species were endangered. The endangered species include the northern bald ibis and Persian fallow deer. The Syrian wild ass is extinct,[2] and the Saudi Arabian dorcas gazelle
was declared extinct in 2008.

Mesopotamian marshes

Mesopotamian Marshes of southern Iraq

The

gray wolf. The draining of the marshes caused a significant decline in bioproductivity; following the Multi-National Force overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime, water flow to the marshes was restored and the ecosystem has begun to recover.[4]

Water buffalo are found in the marshes. The seal of a scribe employed by an Akkadian king shows the sacrifice of water buffaloes.[5]

Aquatic or semi-aquatic wildlife occurs in and around these lakes:[6][7][8]

Water birds recorded in marshlands in southern Iraq include

collared dove, Indian roller and starling.[9]

Coral reef

Iraqi

demosponges.[10]

Fauna

The Asiatic lion has remained a prominent symbol since ancient times.

Due to its diversity in biomes from the Mesopotamian Marshes along the Euphrates River to the semi-arid deserts, Iraq is home to a wide variety of endemic animals and animals that are well-known worldwide for their prevalent populations.  

Mammals

Goitered gazelle
Marbled polecat
Rüppell's fox

The

Persian leopard is a large carnivorous feline located in the northern forest whose diet consists of primarily wild goats. A small population was recorded for the first time at the beginning of the 21st century in the border region between Iraq and Turkey.[13] The sand cat whose presence was recorded for the first time in the desert of Al-Najaf[14] is a small carnivorous feline located in the sandy deserts (diet consists of small rodents, cape hare, greater hoopoe lark, desert monitor, sandfish, cerastes vipers). The Wildcat is a small feline located primarily in forest whose diet consist of rodents, birds, small reptiles[15] and poultry.[16] The Rüppell's fox is a small omnivorous canine that located in deserts north of the Euphrates river whose diet consists of insects, small mammals, lizards, and birds.[17] The Marbled polecat is a omnivorous weasel located in deserts of N.Iraq whose diet consists of small rodents, birds, lizards, fish, frogs, fruit, and grass.[18] The Small Indian mongoose [19] small omnivorous weasel located in the alluvial plains whose diet consists of insects(dragonflies, grasshoppers, mole crickets, ground beetles, earwigs), rodents, amphibians, reptiles, small birds, small grasses, small fruits.[20][21] The Goitered gazelle is a herbivorous antelope that is located in mountains and areas of broken terrain. The Wild boar is a omnivorous swine located in the marshes and along the numerous rivers in Iraq whose diet consists of plants(rhizomes, roots, bulbs, tubers, nuts, berries, seeds, leaves, bark, twigs, shoots), earthworms, insectivores, insects, rodents, bird eggs, lizards, snakes, frogs, and carrion.[16] The Bactrian camel is located in varying habitats from rocky mountains to arid deserts and has a herbivorous diet that consists of various kinds of vegetation.[22] The European hare
is a herbivorous rodent located in the plateaus of Iraq and along the Tigris river.

Other mammals include:

Extinct fauna

The only confirmed record of a

Basrah until 1926. The last known cheetah in the country was killed by a car.[24] The last known Asiatic lion was killed on the lower Tigris in 1918.[1] The last Arabian oryx was shot in 1914. Syrian elephants
roamed Mesopotamia until around 700 BC.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Hatt, R. T. (1959). The mammals of Iraq (PDF). Ann Arbor: Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.
  2. ^ "Environment - Iraq - average, farming, policy". Nationsencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Iraq's Marshes Show Progress toward Recovery". Wildlife Extra. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  4. ^ U.S. National Aeornautics and Space Administration. 2008
  5. ISBN 978-1-57607-907-2
    .
  6. ISBN 9782831702704
    .
  7. ^ "Iraq: Livelihoods at risk as level of Lake Razaza falls". IRIN News. 5 March 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Razzaza Lake (Bahr Al Milh)". Birdlife International. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  9. ^ Abed, J.M. (2007). "Status of water birds in restored southern Iraqi marshes". Marsh Bulletin. 2 (1): 64–79.
  10. ^
    PMID 24603901
    .
  11. doi:10.4404/hystrix-21.1-4457
    .
  12. ISSN 0394-1914
    .
  13. S2CID 88004181
    .
  14. S2CID 85019590
    .
  15. ISSN 0952-8369
    .
  16. ^ a b Geptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A.; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorevich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (1988). Mammals of the Soviet Union. Smithsonian Libraries. Washington, D.C. : Smithsonian Institution Libraries and National Science Foundation.
  17. S2CID 84472688
    .
  18. OCLC 70619354
    .
  19. S2CID 86136416
    .
  20. ISSN 1570-7563
    .
  21. S2CID 181649881
    .
  22. ^ Schmidt, Amanda. "Camel Fact Sheet | Blog | Nature | PBS". Nature. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  23. doi:10.1080/09397140.1990.10637583
    .
  24. ISBN 2-8317-0045-0
    .

External links
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