Fauna and Flora of South Sinai

PART II. – Fauna and flora of South Sinai Francis Gilbert & Samy Zalat South Sinai is one of three richest places in Egypt for biodiversity, the others being the Mediterranean coast and Gebel Elba in the extreme south west. The reason is simple: water. Although visitors may be forgiven for their disbelief, these places have by far the highest and the most reliable precipitation, in the form of rain, snow (in South Sinai) or fog (in Gebel Elba). This section provides a miscellany of the common kinds of animals and plants that live in South Sinai, together with some of the more interesting rarer types. Some have a very restricted distribution and are priority species for conservation. The species are grouped taxonomically, and according to the size, colour, defence or status as a resident or migrant. There are brief notes to introduce each group. The brief account of each species starts with the common and the scientific names, the South Sinai Bedouin (rather than general Arabic) name, and our best understanding of its conservation status (following IUCN categories). Where possible there is a photograph with the notes of interest about the species. A few of the photographs are not of a specimen in South Sinai, but the vast majority are. Information specific to South Sinai about these animals is hard to find since it is scattered in many obscure journals and books. It is easier to look at Egypt as a whole. The following websites and books will help expand on the information presented here, and contain bibliographies to enable you to go further: Egypt’s biodiversity: http://www.biomapegypt.org/biodiversity/index.html General information: http://www.biomapegypt.org/ Research we have done: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzfg/ Baha El Din SM (2005) A guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Egypt. AUC Press, Cairo. Basuony M, Gilbert F & Zalat S (2010) Mammals of Egypt: Red Data Listing & Conservation. EEAA, Cairo Boulos L (1999-2005) Flora of Egypt. 4 vols. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo. Brunn B & Baha El Din SM (1990) Common birds of Egypt. AUC Press, Cairo. Gilbert F & Zalat S (2008) Butterflies of Egypt. EEAA, Cairo. available from http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzfg/pdf files/2008 Butterflies.pdf Goodman SM, Meininger PL, Baha El Din SM, Hobbs JJ & Mullié WC (1989) The birds of Egypt. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Hoath R (2005) Field guide to the mammals of Egypt. AUC Press, Cairo Hoath R & Baha El Din M (2000) Wild Sinai: the wildlife of the Saint Katherine Protectorate. Published by the St Katherine Protectorate. Hobbs J (1995) Mount Sinai. University of Texas Press, Austin, TX USA & AUC Press, Cairo Rusmore-Villaume ML (2008) Seashells of the Egyptian Red Sea: an illustrated handbook. AUC Press, Cairo. Zalat S & Gilbert F (1998) A walk in Sinai: St Katherine to Al Galt Al Azraq. available at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzfg/EBBSoc/ejnh.html Zalat S & Gilbert F (2008) Gardens of a sacred landscape: Bedouin heritage and natural history in the high mountains of Sinai. AUC Press, Cairo. 1. Large mammals Unlike sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt is not full of large mammals, but it does have some. In the distant past, several million years ago, there was an extensive and complex fauna of large mammals whose fossils have been much studied from the Faiyum. The gradual drying of North Africa over the last 10,000 years has seen off most species, and some of the survivors were driven to extinction by human hunters of prehistory and history, leaving just a remnant still extant. Not much is known of the prehistoric fauna of Sinai. Certainly this did not contain camels, since they are absent completely from the Pharaonic period in Egypt. Camels seem to have been introduced by humans only about 2000 years ago. Arabian Leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) Bedouin name: nimr Status: Critically Endangered Probably extinct in mainland Egypt for a long time, the subspecies called the Arabian Leopard, may still hang on in Sinai. There are a few in the Negev desert, but they have disappeared from the Hejaz mountains of Saudi Arabia (although they still occur further south). The difficult mountain terrain and their exceptionally secretive and wary nature makes it very difficult to establish the existence of a breeding population. The last positive record in Sinai was in 1996, and the last definite specimen in 1955. However, they live on in Bedouin stories. In the high passes you can still see leopard traps, long tunnels made from stones with a trapdoor triggered by an attachment to a meat bait. It is still possible that one of the St Katherine Protectorate’s camera traps may one day record one of these magnificent creatures. (photo: wikimedia) Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana) Bedouin name: teytal, badana (male) Status: Endangered The magnificent ibex is completely at home in the steep rocky mountains, being able to traverse seemingly impossible paths. They used to live in groups of up to 40 animals, but now fewer than ten. In early February, males use their huge horns to fight for mating access to females. They are vulnerable because they have to drink every day, unlike many other desert animals. The last time they were counted, there were only about 400 in the whole of South Sinai. Luckily in recent years populations seem to be recovering in the Eastern Desert and perhaps also in Sinai. The Nubian Ibex used to be considered merely a subspecies of a much more widespread species, but now it is recognised as a separate species restricted to the Middle East. (photo: Jen Johnson 2005 Safsafa) Striped Hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) Bedouin name: Dabc, Dabca Status: Not at risk Hyaena are rare but widespread in Egypt and Sinai, part of a large distribution stretching from Pakistan to southern Africa. They are general scavengers and predators, eating a wide variety of different foods including garbage - one of the best places to see them is at night at rubbish dumps. The Bedouin believe they eat one another from stupidity, and keep themselves hidden away for shame; but they also believe that eating hyaena confers great strength and health. Camera traps have photographed hyaena several times, and clearly there is a reasonable population of these interesting creatures in South Sinai. (photo: St Katherine Protectorate camera trap 2002) Gazelle (Gazella dorcas) Bedouin name: ghazal Status: Vulnerable There are now only two species of gazelle resident in Egypt, both vulnerable to extinction; only the Dorcas Gazelle occurs in Sinai. It lives on sandy plains and wadis in the lowlands, with its stronghold on the El Qaa plain. It enters into the wadis to feed, and crosses over between east and west Sinai via the lower southern wadi systems. In mainland Egypt its main predator used to be the Cheetah, but since its disappearance the main threat is from illegal sport hunting, often on a highly organised scale. Luckily this hardly happens in Sinai, but populations are low and vulnerable. The Dorcas Gazelle lives in pairs or small groups, and feeds on many different kinds of plants. It requires access to water. (photo: St Katherine Protectorate camera trap 2002) www.DiscoverSinai.net – A practical guide to discovering the natural, cultural and historical faces of South Sinai 2 2. Medium-sized mammals There are a number of rather rare medium-sized mammals in Sinai, but few common ones. By far the most likely to be seen are foxes in the early morning or late evening. Foxes (Vulpes spp) Bedouin name: abu al HuSain, abu risha Status: Not at risk All three Egyptian species of fox occur in South Sinai, and their shrieks punctuate the stillness of the evenings - often sounding like children crying out in pain. The native common species is the Sand Fox (abu risha), smaller than the Red Fox (abu al hussain), with proportionately larger ears, and softer paler fur. The Red Fox has come in with human settlement, and is now the commonest species around St Katherine and the coastal towns, where it feeds on chickens and stray cats. The beautiful Blanford’s Fox is small with very large ears and a huge long bushy tail rather like a cat’s: it is very rare, and occurs only in eastern Sinai, right at the western edge of its world distribution (which runs all the way to Afghanistan). (photo: Jen Johnson June 2005 Wadi Itlah) Hare (Lepus capensis) Bedouin name: arnab Status: Not at risk Usually called a ‘rabbit’ in Egypt, hares are very common all over Egypt, including Sinai. They rely on remaining hidden in a hole or under a plant until the last minute, and so normally the only view of them is an animal rushing away at top speed from under one’s feet. They feed on plants such as Zygophyllum at night, and if necessary can survive just on the water taken in with their food. They breed more in the lowlands because litter sizes reduce with altitude, and hence they are not so common in the mountains. Although hares from South Africa to Egypt are all called the same species, the Cape Hare Lepus capensis, probably the situation is in reality more complex and several species are involved: Egypt’s hares probably belong to a North African version as yet unnamed. (photo: wikimedia) Hyrax (Procavia capensis) Bedouin name: wabr Status: Not at risk Hyrax are peculiar animals both zoologically and anthropologically. They used to be regarded as the closest living relatives of elephants; now we think probably that elephants and dugongs are close relatives, and the hyrax is their next sister-group.

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