Arabian Wolf (Canis lupus arabs)

Arabian wolf (desert wolf Canis lupus arabs). Israel, Negev desert

Arabian Wolf (Canis lupus arabs) – (Pocock 1934)

Common Names: Desert Wolf

Overall population: unknown

Physical description:
The Arabian Wolf is small, adapted to the desert environment. Its ears are proportionally larger in relation to its frame to help disperse and release body heat. Typically stands around 26 inches (66 cm) shoulder height and weighs an average of 40 pounds (18.14 kg). The fur of the Arabian Wolf is short and thin in summer but with longer back hairs to help radiate and control the impact of solar heat on their backs. Their winter coats are longer but not as dense and long as the North American or Eurasion Grey wolf. Unlike other grey wolves, the middle two toes of an Arabian wolf’s paws are fused.

Life and Behavior of Wolves: The Arabian or Desert Wolf. S. Benson. UK Wolf Conservation Trust. 2009

Range:
Original range – Originally distributed throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Current range – Small pockets in southern Israel (Negev desert), southern and western Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and some parts of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

“These wolves occupy arid flats and mountains throughout deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Jordan and Israel.”

Group size and home range of the Arabian wolf (Canis lupus) in southern Israel; R Hefner, E Geffen – Journal of Mammalogy, 1999

“We conducted a pilot study to survey the carnivore guild in the St Katherine Protectorate, the largest Egyptian national park and a hotspot for biodiversity and conservation in an arid environments. Three species were detected using both camera trapping and morphological identification of scats: Red fox, Striped hyena and Arabian wolf, while through genetic analysis we were able to confirm the presence of Blandford fox as well. Arabian wolf appeared to be the most elusive and rarer species and should be a conservation priority.”

A pilot study to survey the carnivore community in the hyper-arid environment of South Sinai mountains. Gecchele LV, Bremner-Harrison S, Gilbert F, Soultan A, Davison A, Durrant KL. Journal of Arid Environments. 2017 Jun

Habitat / Ecology / Prey:
Habitat – Desert, Sand Dunes, Gravel plains, Rocky hills
Ecology –

–Prey –Arabian gazelle (Gazella arabica), Arabian oryx “white oryx” (Oryx leucoryx), (domestic and wild) ibexes, Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana), Dorcas gazelles (Gazella dorcas), wild Boar (Sus scrofa), cape hares (Lepus capensus), rodents, rock hyrax (Procavia capensis), fish (Cyprinion mhalensis),

“Arabian wolves are largely omnivorous and opportunistic feeders. A detailed analysis of 777 wolf scats in the southern Negev Desert revealed that 51.4% contained vegetative material, 37.2% human garbage, and 62.5% hair from cow carcasses (Shalmon, 1986). Only 6.3% of scats contained native mammals (gazelles, hares), excluding small rodents. Carrion was obtained at pits where dead livestock were frequently dumpe”

Group size and home range of the Arabian wolf (Canis lupus) in southern Israel; R Hefner, E Geffen – Journal of Mammalogy, 1999

Trees and Flora
Acacia (Vachellia raddiana), (Vachellia tortilis), (Plicosepalus acaciae), madonna lily (Pancratium sickenbergeri)

“Yotvata NR comprises six vegetation belts (Baharav 1980), of which only the Vachellia (formerly Acacia)-Anabasis community occurs within the G. arabica enclosure. The community is dominated by Vachellia raddiana and V. tortilis, accompanied by the semi-parasite Plicosepalus acaciae, and a number of shrubs such as Hammada salicornica, Anabasis articulata, Ochradenus baccatus, and Lycium shawii (Baharav 1980).”

Factors driving Arabian gazelles (Gazella arabica) in Israel to extinction: time series analysis of population size and juvenile survival in an unexploited population. Shalmon B, Sun P, Wronski T. Biodiversity and Conservation. 2020 Jan

“When in sand dunes in the Negev desert of Israel, the gazelles fed on a single plant species, the madonna lily (Pancratium sickenbergeri). In summer, when all live plant material is subterranean, the gazelles dug holes in the sand to remove the stem and bulb. After the winter rains, only the tips of the leaves that had emerged above ground were eaten.”

Forging at different spatial scales: Dorcas gazelles foraging for lilies in the Negev Desert. Ward D, Saltz D. Ecology. 1994 Jan

Interesting behaviors:
“..wolves have become habituated to humans (Hefner and Geffen 1999) and being opportunistic omnivorous foragers (Biquand et al. 1994, Hefner and Geffen 1999) with a high reproductive rate (Furley 1985) may ensure their survival in an otherwise marginal environment.”
Arabian wolf distribution update from Saudi Arabia. Cunningham PL, Wronski T. Canid News. 2010 Dec

Legal, Economic and Cultural Background:

Conservation:
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Nature Iraq (Baghdad and Erbil)
ESO Environmental Society of Oman
The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
The Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA)

Taxonomic/Genetic Information:

The Wolf Intelligencer

STOP THE WAR IN UKRAINE. ОСТАНОВИТЕ ВОЙНУ В УКРАИНЕ.

Arabian Wolf (Canis lupus arabs)

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