The Mammals of Israel - Softcover

Ferguson, Walter W

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9652292788 ISBN 13: 9789652292780

Publisher: Gefen Publishing House, Limited, 2018

Synopsis

Although Israel is a small country, it possesses a unique combination and diversity of nearly one hundred species ofmammals unlike anywhere else in the world. This is the first comprehensive book to describe and illustrate in colorall the species and races of mammals of Israel and will be helpful in their identification.The Mammals of Israel includes their habits, habitat, distribution and taxonomic remarks on the status of certain speciesand subspecies. A resume' of the zoogeography of Israel introduces the reader to the mammals that inhabited theregion in prehistoric times. It is hoped that in view of the danger to the survival of wild animals, this book will increaseawareness of the wonderful wildlife heritage of Israel, enhance the appreciation and study of mammals, and helpprotect the mammals of the country for future generations.

About this title

About the Author:

Walter Ferguson is a native of New York City and studied at Yale University School of Fine Arts and the Pratt Institute. Since immigrating to Israel in 1965, he has devoted himself to studying and drawing the birds and mammals of Israel. He has served as the staff artist for the department of Zoology of Tel Aviv University for 29 years. His other books include The Living Animals of the Bible and On the Snows of Mount Hermon.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

SWINE: SUIDAE
Swine are fairly large; stout and short-legged; and more or less covered with coarse, bristly hair. The snout is rather long, mobile and truncated. The tail is usually small, and the feet each have four toes, but only the center pair are functional. The males have tusk-like canines. They are generally uniformly colored brown and are found in humid as well as arid environments, but near water. Universal in distribution, they are represented in Israel by a single species.
Palestine Wild Boar Plate 28
Sus scrofa lybicus Gray, 1868
Hazir Bar (Hebrew)
Hallouf, Khanzir wahshee (Arabic)
Description: Head and body 1,240–1,640 mm.; ear 120–170 mm.; hind foot 210–340 mm.; tail 150–200 mm.
The Palestine Wild Boar is a smaller subspecies of theWild Boar of Europe and Asia. It is the only wild pig found in Israel and is distinguished by its large, heavy-set, laterally compressed body (hog-back). It has a greatly elongated head; large, broad ears; narrow legs; and long, cylindrical tail, which is tufted at the end. A short, thick, upper tusk turns sharply upwards and shears with a lower tusk. The general color is a uniformly-grizzled brown with bristly hairs, shorter in the summer. The snout, ears and legs are blackish. The piglets are spotted and striped lengthwise, but lose their markings by midsummer.
Habits: Active mainly at night, it excavates burrows and swims well. The gestation period is 112–175 days and the litter 2–12 in size. Omnivorous, it digs for roots, bulbs and tubers. It also eats fungi and fruit. Contrary to popular belief, it does not overeat. They are gregarious and band together in small numbers. During the day, they wallow in mud and rest in the shade of thickets.
Habitat: Forests, tall grass, reed beds, dense thickets and cultivated fields.
Distribution: Widespread through Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa and Asia as far east as Japan. The subspecies S. s. lybicus occurs in southwestern Asia Minor and Syria. In Israel, it survives in the Golan Heights, Upper Galilee, the Huleh and Jordan Valleys, hills of Samaria and Judea and was extirpated from the coastal plain. A relic population survives along the Jordan River and south of the Dead Sea.

About this edition

• Publisher: Gefen Publishing House, Limited
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 9652292788
• ISBN 13: 9789652292780
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 158