Wildlife of Israel

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Animals of Israel
Flowers of Israel

The wildlife of Israel includes the

loss of habitat.[1] As of May 2007, 190 nature reserves have been established in Israel.[2]

Fauna

Mammals

See also: List of mammals of Israel
A Nubian ibex in the Negev desert
An Arabian oryx in the Yotvata wildlife reserve
Fin whale in distress swims off national park of Caesarea Maritima
bow-riding off Ashdod

Israel contains a variety of mammals due to its geographical and climatic diversity. For many of the mammals, Israel is the border of their territory. The territories of species which originate in the

mammals, however in recent times many mammals such as the European water vole, the Asiatic cheetah and the Caucasian squirrel
went locally extinct. In the modern age many mammal populations such as the Arabian leopard and the sand cat are in a high risk of extinction. In total there are 57 species of mammals which are endangered (as of 2002) out of the total 104 species.[3] The largest living
Jordan Valley.[5]

Various animal species have become extinct due to unchecked hunting under Ottoman rule and to a lesser extent under British Mandate rule, due to a non-enforcement of hunting laws. By the early 20th century, the white oryx, Syrian brown bear, Asiatic lion, red deer, Asiatic cheetah, and Syrian wild ass had become extinct in the region. Modern hunting laws prohibit all hunting of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, except those considered pests and specific animals in hunting seasons. However the packs of feral dogs that are taking over the countryside are an increasing threat to wildlife and domesticated animals.[6]

Rapid urbanization as well as overforestation (planting many dense eucalyptus and pine forests) have caused the destruction of many natural habitats. One of the most famous examples of habitats destroyed is the drying of swamps including the Hula lake which caused the local extinction of the European water vole and jungle cat. An earlier wave of urbanization during the Iron Age resulted in the local extinction of the aurochs, bubal hartebeest, and hippopotamus.[7] The Syrian elephant might have once existed in small numbers in Israel, in ancient times.

Another distinguished cause of endangerment is the past use of

Microchiroptera
) which were also killed by human made lighting in the caves due to the suspicion that fruit-eating bats were harming local crops.

Some mammals that have gone locally extinct are being reintroduced, such as the Persian fallow deer[8] and the roe deer.[9][10]

Reptiles

Main article: List of reptiles of Israel

Israel has roughly 100 species of

Levant viper, and Nile monitor.[11][12]

Amphibians

green toad
, Israel's most widespread amphibian
Pelobates syriacus

The number of amphibians in Israel has decreased dramatically since the last century mainly due to the drying of various swamps and wetlands by early settlers. The Hula painted frog was thought to be extinct until a female specimen was found in November 2011. Environmental improvements in the Hula reserve have been cited as a possible reason for the frog's re-emergence.[13]

The amphibians of Israel include five from the

banded newt). The banded newt, the eastern spadefoot toad, and the Hula painted frog are critically endangered.[4][14]

The

Mediterranean shore. While the toad is usually limited to areas with a constant supply of water, populations have begun to spread into drier places. Even though it has relative great range in Israel, a 55% decrease has been noted in active spawning sites, mainly due to destruction of habitats, water contamination and habitats being split by roads or train tracks. The population currently numbers at a few thousands.[14]

The

protected species by law.[4][14][15]
The
breeding seasons depending on location, ranging from January–February in the coastal plains to February–March in the Galilee.[16] The banded newt is critically endangered in Israel (only 5% of the 1950s population remains) and is thus a protected species.[16][17][18]

Tel Dan, Mount Carmel and the Galilee). Compared to European populations, the adults have especially long legs and fingers and a more rounded head. The local populations differ in size (Tel Dan salamanders are much smaller), arrangement of spots on the skin and colour (ranging from orange to yellow), in mating habits and times, as well as activity times (Tel Dan salamanders are active throughout most of the year because of their proximity to water). The populations are relatively stable. Nevertheless, they are an endangered species in Israel and one of the three amphibians to be a protected species.[14][16][19]

Marsh frogs (Rana ridibunda or Pelophylax ridibundus) live almost exclusively near stable water pools or winter pools, mainly in north and central Israel. The frogs are active even during the summer and sometimes during the day. The frogs are lighter and slightly smaller than in other countries.[16]

The

IUCN
in 1996. In the 1990s, the southern part of the valley was flooded again, and in 2011 the Hula painted frog was rediscovered. The frog has since been reclassified as critically endangered.

Dead sea. The population is estimated at a few thousands.[14][20]

Fish

Gulf of Eilat

Israel is currently home to about 1,728 species of fish, 410 of which in the

wetlands in the north of the Dead Sea, is the only known place in the world where populations of blue and Dead Sea killifish (Nevit Hula and Nevit Yam Hamelakh) live side by side.[23]

The

long jaw tristramella
became extinct in 1990.

Birds

A hoopoe, Israel's national bird, with insect
See also: List of birds of Israel

About 500 million birds from 500 species pass through Israel during the bi-annual migration season, from Europe and West Asia to Africa in the winter, and back in the spring. A program has been developed to build major birdwatching centres in

kibbutzim Kfar Ruppin and Ma'agan Michael.[24]

Lake Hula is the stopover point for tens of thousands of cranes migrating from Finland to Ethiopia every winter. In Israel, farmers set out food for them to keep them from damaging crops near the lake.[25]

The number of raptors has been decreasing due to its prey becoming endangered or extinct as well as massive poisoning of some prey. About a fifth of the nesting birds are endangered (39 out of 206).[3]

Yossi Lesham, director of Israel's International Centre for the Study of Bird Migration, says that the country has one of the highest concentrations of bird traffic in the world per square mile. On a single morning at the Jerusalem Birdwatching Observatory, the staff has spotted 10,000 eagles.[26]

Arabian ostriches had been extinct from Israel years ago. The

Negev desert
in Israel where the Arabian ostriches lived before their extinction.

The

extirpated
from Israel.

Invertebrates

See also: List of non-marine molluscs of Israel
Ocypode cursor crab

Israel has about 30,000

arthropods
. Among the invertebrates there is a wide variety of
Mediterranean and 1,120 are of the Red Sea. The insects of Israel belong to various ecological zones, but mainly to the Mediterranean. There are insects belonging to roughly 27 orders in Israel, out of about 29 worldwide.[27]

Invasive species

Israel contains many

red-eared pond slider and the roughtail gecko) as well as 18 bird species. There are no amphibian invasive species, most likely due to the fact there are no suitable habitats for such.[29][30]

Flora

Anemone coronaria, a protected flower that grows wild all over Israel
Apple of Sodom, Ein Gedi

There are 2,867 known species of plants found in Israel.[31] Of these, at least 253 species are introduced and non-native. The coastal plain and Sharon regions are especially rich in endemic species. The Galilee fumitory (Fumaria thuretti Boiss), a rare flower with bright pink blossoms and an elongated bulge that collects nectar and attracts wild bees, was discovered in 2012 after botanists believed it was extinct.[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ "CET(Hebrew)". Lib.cet.ac.il. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  2. ^ "The Israel Nature and Parks Authority-רשות הטבע והגנים". Parks.org.il. 28 April 2009. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Israel's Red List of Vertebrates". Israeli Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-965-220-505-6
    .
  5. ^ Rinat, Zafrir (2 April 2008). "Thousands of bats found hanging out in abandoned army outposts". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Packs of feral dogs are a growing threat in Israel". Haaretz.
  7. PMID 19401760
    .
  8. ^ "Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (Hebrew)". Jerusalemzoo.org.il. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Ramat HaNadiv Nature Park (Hebrew)". Ramat-hanadiv.org.il. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  10. ^ "Israeli Center of Educational Technology (Hebrew)" (PDF). Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  11. ^ Dolev 2004, "Reptiles". pp. 71–129.
  12. OCLC 889948524.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  13. ^ "Long thought extinct, Hula painted frog found once again in Israeli nature reserve", Haaretz.
  14. ^ a b c d e Dolev 2004, "Amphibians". pp. 55–68
  15. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T58053A11723660.en
    .
  16. ^
    ISBN 978-965-05-0072-6
    .
  17. ^ Pearlson, Oren; Gad Degani (2008). "The Life History of Triturus vittatus vittatus (Urodela) in Various Habitats" (PDF). Asiatic Herpetological Research. 11: 93–97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  18. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T59480A11930635.en
    .
  19. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T59466A11927871.en
    .
  20. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T55647A11347491.en
    .
  21. ^ Dolev 2004, "Fish". pp. 39–52.
  22. ^ Near-extinct fish reintroduced to Yarkon River
  23. ^ INPA to celebrate Israel’s wetlands this weekend, in honor of int’l day
  24. ^ Cabinet to vote on network of bird centers, Haaretz.
  25. ^ "Israeli ornithologists confirm flight path of migrating cranes", Haaretz.
  26. ^ Where birds know no borders
  27. ISBN 978-965-05-0076-4
    .
  28. ^ Friedman, A.L.L. (2016). Rosemary beetle Chrysolina americana: A new invasive leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae) in Israel. Israel Journal of Entomology 46: 87–91.[1]
  29. ^ "List of invasive Animals in Israel" (in Hebrew). Ministry of Environmental Protection of Israel. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  30. ^ Hazofe, Ohad; Nemtzov Simon (28 December 2004). "Exotic (invasive) terrestrial vertebrate species, that have established wild populations in Israel" (PDF). Israel Nature and Parks Authority. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  31. ^ "Flora of Israel Online". Flora.huji.ac.il. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  32. ^ "Rare flower discovered after 60 years", Haaretz.

Sources

External links

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