Wildlife of the Levant

This has resulted in the region acting as a conduit for the migration of numerous species, both northward and southward, and has led to the formation of distinct and occasionally conflicting climatic patterns.

A significant number of species of megafauna in the Levant have become extinct as a result of the destruction of natural habitats for the purpose of human settlement and exploitation, or due to overhunting since ancient times.

[2] The parallel chain begins with a group of hills from roughly the same point at an area called Kapu Tcham near Marash and extends south to Suf Dagh and Aleppo Mountain.

The Qalamoun Mountains, which extend from south of Homs to Damascus and meet with the Golan Heights at Mount Hermon, with its highest peak at 2814 meters, constitute the next segment of the chain.

The climate of the region can be broadly classified into three categories: sub-humid Turanian in the high mountains, Mediterranean in the coastal areas, and arid and desert in the interior, with subtropical conditions prevailing in the Jordan Valley.

[3] The French botanist Jacques Labillardière published a study of plants from Mount Lebanon, Qalamoun, Damascus, and Cyprus between 1791 and 1812 under the title in Latin Icones plantarum Syriae rariorum.

[2] The humid Iranian-Turanian climate is prevalent in the high regions of the coastal mountains, particularly in the northern and central areas, including Amanous, Nusairiya, and Western Lebanon.

The mountainous regions of this area, situated at elevations of 1800 to 2500 meters above sea level, are home to diverse forests of coniferous species, including the Syrian shuh and Lebanese cedar, which require cold climates for optimal growth.

The foothills of these mountains are also populated by a multitude of annual and perennial herbaceous plants belonging to various families, including leguminous, vetiver, asteraceous, buttercup, papaveraceae, and Iridaceae.

The plant life of the flanks is diverse, encompassing numerous genera, including Atriplex, Hammada, Haloxylon, Anabasis, Artemisia, Noaea, Peganum, and Calligonum.

A diverse array of bulbous and tuberous species exists, including the clove and Bellevalia of the asparagus family and the asafoetida of the Xanthorrhoea genus[clarification needed].

[22] A study published in 2011 by environmental organizations revealed that the primary threats to wild plants are urbanization, firewood collection, tourism, intensification of farming, and unsustainable harvesting.

[26] The Levant's location at the center of the three continents of the ancient world has served for millions of years as a natural crossing point for mammals migrating south from Europe and north from Africa.

[34] In the Levant, the carnivores are represented by six families: Mustelidae (mustelids), Herpestidae (mongooses), Hyaenidae (hyenas), Canidae (canids or dogs), Phocidae (earless seals) and Felidae (felid or cats).

Experts have noted that it is challenging to ascertain the current conservation status of Levantine jackals, given that they have been breeding with stray domesticated dogs for hundreds of years and producing numerous hybrids.

The wildcat is the most common feline species in the Levant, the ancestor of the domesticated cat, and still lives mainly in the Negev and the western mountain range of Lebanon, in Jordan and several parts of Syria.

[69] The Anatolian ground squirrel (Spermophilus taurensis) is a terrestrial species that inhabits the Levantine steppe and semi-desert regions, as well as plains and mountain meadows at altitudes ranging from 800 to 2,900 meters.

However, experts consider them an essential species in the Levantine steppe ecosystem, as they serve as a food source for numerous predators, including owls, scavengers, hawks, and red foxes.

Farmers often regard porcupines as a nuisance due to their predilection for certain crops that bear resemblance to the food they consume in the wild, including potatoes, onions, and carrots.

[101][102] The introduction of domesticated water buffalo to the Levant occurred around 600 AD, providing an additional source of meat and milk for the growing human population and for use in plowing and traction.

However, anecdotal evidence suggests that villagers in the suburbs of Damascus, the eastern Lebanon mountain range, and Mount Hermon continued to observe bears foraging in their orchards and vineyards well into the 1950s.

These birds can still be observed in medium to large colonies in the Golan, Carmel, Negev, Chouf, and the Levantine desert,[126] where they feed on the remains of predators and the carcasses of sheep and cows discarded by farmers.

One of the most conspicuous seabirds in the Levant is the white-eyed gull, which is a resident of the Red Sea hatchery and can be observed throughout the year in the Gulf of Aqaba, where it forms roosting flocks on the beaches.

Its range extends from the western shore of the Dead Sea to Lake Houla, encompassing the Beqaa Valley, Mount Lebanon, inland and coastal Syria.

Several North African red-necked ostriches, the closest to the Arabian breed, were bred at the Hai Bar Yotvata Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, and a few individuals were released into the wild.

[157] However, their numbers have declined significantly in recent times, due to the loss of their natural habitat, which has been reclaimed for agriculture and construction, and the poisoning of their food sources by pesticides.

[162] The Levant is home to over a hundred species of reptiles, with the majority inhabiting arid regions and a smaller number residing in temperate Mediterranean areas.

Despite the assertion by some herpetologists in Lebanon that these frogs continue to inhabit a deep swamp at the base of Mount Barouk in the Beqaa Valley, no specimens have been discovered to date.

[171] The shovel-footed eastern amaranth is endemic to the coastal region of Israel, extending from the northern border with Lebanon to the northernmost point of the country, near the city of Haifa.

[189] As a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organization has played a pivotal role in the development and establishment of Lebanon's Protected Areas Project (PAP).