Barbary stag | |
---|---|
A herd at El Feidja National Park | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Cervidae |
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]
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.
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] Other notable herds are known from the areas of Akfadou, Bouzeguène, and Zéralda, Algeria, [5] as well as Taza Province, Morocco. [6]
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 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.
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.
The sika deer, also known as the Northernspotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south to the Russian Far East in the north, it was hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th century. Protection laws were enacted in the mid-20th century, leading to a rapid recovery of their population from the 1950s to the 1980s.
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa; being the only living species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red deer have been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. In many parts of the world, the meat (venison) from red deer is used as a food source.
The Barbary lion was a population of the lion subspecies Panthera leo leo. It was also called North African lion, Atlas lion and Egyptian lion. 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.
The Barbary sheep, also known as aoudad, is a species of caprine native to rocky mountains in North Africa and parts of West Africa. While this is the only species in genus Ammotragus, six subspecies have been described. Although it is rare in its native North Africa, it has been introduced to North America, southern Europe, and elsewhere. It is also known in the Berber language as waddan or arwi, and in former French territories as the mouflon.
Tazekka National Park is a national park of Morocco. It is located in the Middle Atlas, near the city of Taza.
Eucladoceros is an extinct genus of large deer whose fossils have been discovered across Eurasia, from Europe to China, spanning from the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene. It is noted for its unusual comb-like or branching antlers.
Cervus is a genus of deer that primarily are native to Eurasia, although one species occurs in northern Africa and another in North America. In addition to the species presently placed in this genus, it has included a whole range of other species now commonly placed in other genera. Additionally, the species-level taxonomy is in a state of flux.
The Central Asian red deer, also known as the Tarim red deer, is a deer species native to Central Asia, where it used to be widely distributed, but is scattered today with small population units in several countries. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2017. It was first described in the mid-19th century.
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests is an ecoregion in the coastal plains, hills, and mountains bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in North Africa. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests is an ecoregion, in the temperate coniferous forest biome, which occupies the high mountain ranges of North Africa. The term is also a botanically recognized plant association in the African and Mediterranean literature.
Alcelaphine gammaherpesvirus 2 (AlHV-2) is a species of Macavirus that is believed to be responsible for causing hartebeest infections of malignant catarrhal fever.
The Corsican red deer, also known simply as the Corsican deer or Sardinian deer, is a subspecies of red deer found on the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France).
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.
Barbary or Barbary Coast or Barbary states is the term used by Europeans from the 16th century until the 19th century to refer to the coastal regions of what are now Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.
Megaceroides algericus is an extinct species of deer known from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene of North Africa. It is one of only two species of deer known to have been native to the African continent, alongside the Barbary stag, a subspecies of red deer. It is considered to be closely related to the giant deer species of Eurasia.
Lake Akfadou, also known as Black Lake, is situated within the Djurdjura Mountains, within the boundaries of the Djurdjura National Park. It is located between the Algerian provinces of Tizi Ouzou and Béjaïa.
Zeralda Forest is a forest located in Zeralda, in the Mitidja region of Algiers Province. It is managed by the Forest Conservation Authority of Algiers (CFA), which operates under the supervision of the General Directorate of Forests (DGF).
The Réghaïa forest or Kadous forest is a forest located in Réghaïa in the wilaya of Algiers, Algeria.
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