Arabian tahr
{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Arabian tahr
| image = {{CSS image crop
|Image = Animals at Al Ain Zoo Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.jpg
|bSize = 1000
|cWidth = 250
|cHeight = 250
|oTop = 210
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| image_caption = Tahr at Al Ain Zoo near Jebel Hafeet in the UAE
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Arabitragus
| parent_authority = Ropiquet & Hassanin, 2005
| display_parents = 2
| species = jayakari
| authority = (Thomas, 1894)
| synonyms = Hemitragus jayakari
| range_map = Arabitragus jayakari.png
| range_map_caption = Distribution of the tahr in the region of the Hajar Mountains of Oman and the UAE in Eastern Arabia
}}
The Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) is a species of tahr native to eastern Arabia. Until recently, it was placed in the genus Hemitragus, but genetic evidence supports its removal to a separate monotypic genus, Arabitragus.
==Description==
It is the smallest species of tahr. It is of stocky build with backward-arching horns in both sexes. Males are much more robust than females. Their coats consist of a long, reddish-brown hair, with a dark stripe running down the back. Males possess the most impressive manes which extend right down the back and grow longer, based on the age. In the oldest males the muzzle darkens to black and the eye stripes also darken. As with most goat-antelopes, they have rubber-like hooves to provide balance and traction on the steep, rocky slopes.
As of a 2018, the wild population is thought to comprise around 2,200 individuals.
Habitat and range
{{See also|Musandam Peninsula}}
The Arabian tahr lives on steep rocky slopes of the Hajar Mountains in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, at altitudes up to {{convert|1,800|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level. It is also found in the area of Jebel Hafeet.{{cite news |author=WAM |title=EAD raises awareness on Abu Dhabi's natural heritage at ADIHEX 2017 |newspaper=The Gulf Today |url=http://gulftoday.ae/portal/4afcd0d9-b997-46e3-b3bc-615332d606c3.aspx |date=2017-09-13 |access-date=2018-03-30 |author-link=Emirates News Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330211425/http://gulftoday.ae/portal/4afcd0d9-b997-46e3-b3bc-615332d606c3.aspx |archive-date=2018-03-30 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author=De Leon, J. P. |title=100th Arabian tahr, and twin tahrs welcomed in Al Ain |newspaper=Gulf News |url=http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/environment/100th-arabian-tahr-and-twin-tahrs-welcomed-in-al-ain-1.1338797 |date=2014-05-26 |access-date=2018-04-03}}{{cite news |work=The National |title=Newborn Arabian tahr discovered on Jebel Hafeet |url=https://www.thenational.ae/uae/environment/newborn-arabian-tahr-discovered-on-jebel-hafeet-1.85597 |date=2015-03-12 |access-date=2018-03-30}}
Taxonomy
File:HemitragusJayakariSmit.jpg in the collection of the Zoological Society of London{{cite journal |title=Hemitragus jayakari |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |page=534 |year=1894 |author=Smit, J. |issue=May |url=https://archive.org/stream/proceedingsofzoo1894zool#page/n534/mode/1up}}]]
The Arabian tahr was first described in 1894 by Oldfield Thomas who proposed the name Hemitragus jayakari for zoological specimens collected in Oman Jebel Taw.{{cite journal |title=On some specimens of mammals from Oman, S.E.Arabia |author=Thomas, O. |year=1894 |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |issue=May |pages=448–455 |url=https://archive.org/stream/proceedingsofzoo1894zool#page/448/mode/1up}} It was separated into the newly created genus Arabitragus in 2005 on the basis of a study on the molecular phylogeny of the group.{{cite journal |author1=Ropiquet, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Hassanin, A. |year=2005 |title=Molecular evidence for the polyphyly of the genus Hemitragus (Mammalia, Bovidae) |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=154–168 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2005.01.002 |pmid=15904863 |bibcode=2005MolPE..36..154R |url=}}
Etymology
The genus name Arabitragus is derived from the Greek words aravikós meaning "Arabian" and trágos meaning "goat".{{cite book|title=A Greek–English Lexicon|last1=Liddell|first1=H. G. |last2=Scott |first2=R. |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1940 |edition=Ninth |location=Oxford |chapter=ραβία |chapter-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=*)arabi/a|title-link=A Greek–English Lexicon}}{{cite book|title=A Greek–English Lexicon|last1=Liddell|first1=H. G. |last2=Scott|first2=R. |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1940 |edition=Ninth |location=Oxford|chapter=τράγος |chapter-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=tra/gos&highlight=}}
Behaviour and ecology
Unlike other species of tahr, the Arabian tahr is solitary or lives in small groups consisting of a female and a kid, or a male. Instead of forming herds during seasonal ruts, reproduction occurs in small, dispersed family units. Births have been reported as occurring throughout the year, and gestation lasts from 140–145 days.{{cn|date=January 2024}}
=Diet and predation=
These animals are usually browsers, feeding on grasses, shrubs, leaves, and fruits of most trees. They are highly dependent on water and need to drink every two to three days during summer. They descend from their point of elevation to drink from river courses known as wadis, and travel to new areas when water dries up.
The tahr was likely preyed upon by the Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) before the leopard's possible extirpation from the region in recent times.{{cite journal |author1=Edmonds, J.-A. |author2=Budd, K. J. |author3=Al Midfa, A. |author4=Gross, C. |name-list-style=amp |year=2006 |title=Status of the Arabian Leopard in United Arab Emirates |journal=Cat News |issue=Special Issue 1 |pages=33–39 |url=http://www.catsg.org/fileadmin/filesharing/5.Cat_News/5.3._Special_Issues/5.3.1._SI_1/Edmonds_et_al_2006_Status_of_the_Arabian_leopard_in_United_Arab_Emirates.pdf}}
Threats
The Arabian tahr is endangered due to intense overgrazing, poaching, and habitat destruction. In Oman, a recent increase of human migration to urban areas has resulted in domestic goats becoming feral and foraging in places that were once strictly the tahr's home. Habitat degradation is also another major threat, due to construction of roads, buildings, and mineral extraction. Also, poaching often occurs when the animals descend down from the mountains for water.{{cn|date=January 2024}}
Conservation
{{See also|Al Hefaiyah Conservation Centre}}
In 1973, efforts were planned to protect the Arabian tahr, and in 1975, a protection program was introduced in the Hajar Mountains. In 1980, a captive-breeding program was set up at the Omani Mammal Breeding Center to reintroduce captive-bred individuals back into the wild. Three institutions are now involved, one in Oman and two in the United Arab Emirates. In April 2009, the Wadi Wurayah preserve in the Emirate of Fujairah was set aside by royal decree in the Emirates for the protection of the tahr.{{cite news |work=WWF |title=Arabian Tahr gets royal protection |url=http://uae.panda.org/news/?163161/Arabian-Tahr-getsroyal-protection |date=2009 |access-date=2018-03-30 |archive-date=2018-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913150346/http://uae.panda.org/news/?163161/Arabian-Tahr-getsroyal-protection |url-status=dead}} Another place in the UAE, Sir Bani Yas in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, was also set up for its conservation.{{cite news |work=Gulf News |title=Endangered Arabian tahr born on Sir Bani Yas Island |url=http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/environment/endangered-arabian-tahr-born-on-sir-bani-yas-island-1.2156104 |date=2018 |access-date=2018-04-02}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20091016055428/http://www.oryxoman.com/tahr_main.html Arabian Tahr in Oman]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090226195545/http://www.arabianwildlife.com/nature/mammal/mam04.html Arabian Tahr in United Arab Emirates]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100417030256/http://www.arkive.org/arabian-tahr/arabitragus-jayakari/info.html Arabian Tahr entry in ARKive]
{{Artiodactyla|R.3}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q24263188}}
Category:Mammals of the Arabian Peninsula
Category:Fauna of the Middle East
Category:Mammals described in 1894