Barbary stag

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Barbary stag
01 Feija national park.jpg
A herd at El Feidja National Park
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Cervinae
Genus: Cervus
Species:
Subspecies:
C. e. barbarus
Trinomial name
Cervus elaphus barbarus
Bennett, 1833 [1]
Synonyms

Cervus barbarus

The Barbary stag (Cervus elaphus barbarus), also known as the Atlas deer or African elk, is a subspecies of the red deer that is native to North Africa. It is the only deer known to be native to Africa, aside from Megaceroides algericus , which went extinct approximately 6,000 years ago. [2]

Contents

Description

A female (hind) at Tierpark Berlin Cervus elaphus barbarus (Tierpark Berlin) - 1005-887-(118).jpg
A female (hind) at Tierpark Berlin

The Barbary stag is smaller than the typical red deer. Its body is dark brown with some white spots on its flanks and back. The antlers lack the bez (second) tine.

Range/habitat

A male at Tierpark Berlin Cervus elaphus barbarus, Tierpark Berlin, 523-629.jpg
A male at Tierpark Berlin

The Barbary stag is the only member of the deer family that is native to Africa. It thrives in dense, humid forested areas of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. [3] It had initially been hunted to extinction in the latter, but specimens from the Tunisian population were reintroduced in the 1990s. [3] One population can be found in Tazekka National Park in the Middle Atlas Mountains. [4]

Nomenclature

Recent genetic studies indicate that the North African red deer population is practically indistinguishable from the Sardinian and Corsican populations, generally referred to as the Corsican red deer. This strongly argues for an ancient introduction of red deer from North Africa to these Mediterranean islands by humans. Further analysis suggests that the Barbary stag, including the Corsican red deer, belongs to a separate species, and should be grouped under the name Cervus corsicanus. [3]

Predators

Predators of the Barbary stag include, or included, the Barbary lion, the Atlas bear, the Barbary leopard, and the African wolf, but these have become either endangered or extinct in the region where the Barbary stag occurs.

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The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range, which stretches around 2,500 km (1,600 mi) through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The range's highest peak is Toubkal, which is in central Morocco, with an elevation of 4,167 metres (13,671 ft). The Atlas mountains are primarily inhabited by Berber populations.

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The Barbary lion, also called the North African lion, Atlas lion, and Egyptian lion, is an extinct population of the lion subspecies Panthera leo leo. It lived in the mountains and deserts of the Maghreb of North Africa from Morocco to Egypt. It was eradicated following the spread of firearms and bounties for shooting lions. A comprehensive review of hunting and sighting records revealed that small groups of lions may have survived in Algeria until the early 1960s, and in Morocco until the mid-1960s. Today, it is locally extinct in this region. Fossils of the Barbary lion dating to between 100,000 and 110,000 years were found in the cave of Bizmoune, near Essaouira.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbary striped grass mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Barbary striped grass mouse is a small rodent of the suborder Myomorpha. This monotypic species is native to coastal Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in northwest Africa. In the past it was believed to also occur throughout a large part of Sub-Saharan Africa, but these populations are now treated as a separate species, the Heuglin's striped grass mouse. These relatively small Lemniscomys are among the species most commonly kept in captivity.

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References

  1. Grubb, P. (2005). "Cervus elaphus barbarus". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 663. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. Fernandez, Philippe; Bouzouggar, Abdeljalil; Collina-Girard, Jacques; Coulon, Mathieu (July 2015). "The last occurrence of Megaceroides algericus Lyddekker, 1890 (Mammalia, Cervidae) during the middle Holocene in the cave of Bizmoune (Morocco, Essaouira region)". Quaternary International. 374: 154–167. Bibcode:2015QuInt.374..154F. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.03.034. ISSN   1040-6182.
  3. 1 2 3 Le programme d'espèces d'UICN et la Commission UICN de la sauvegarde des espèces et TRAFFIC. "Résumés des Analyses UICN/TRAFFIC des propositions d'amendement aux Annexes de la CITES pour la Quatorzième session de la Conférence des Parties", Retrieved on 2008-12-28.
  4. Flora and Fauna - Park National de Tazekka, (official web page of the National Park).