| Arabian Wolf Arabic: ذئب عربي |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | C. lupus |
| Subspecies: | C. l. arabs |
| Trinomial name | |
| Canis lupus arabs Pocock, 1934[1] |
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| Arabian wolf range | |
The Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs) is a subspecies of Gray Wolf which was once found throughout the Arabian Peninsula, but now only lives in small pockets in Southern Israel, Southern and western Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and probably in some parts of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
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The Arabian wolf is a small, desert adapted wolf that stands at around 26 inches shoulder height and weighs an average of 40 pounds Their ears are proportionally larger in relation to body size when compared to other species, an adaptation needed to disperse body heat. Also, Arabian wolves do not live in large packs, and instead hunt in pairs or in groups of about three to four animals. This subspecies is unusual, as it is not known to howl.[2] Arabian wolves have short, thin fur in summer, though the hair on their back remains long even in summer. It is thought that this is an adaptation against solar radiation. The winter coat is long, though not as long as northern subspecies.[3] Arabian wolves are unique among grey wolves due to the middle two toes of their paws being fused, a trait originally thought unique to the African Wild Dog.[4] It is distinguished from the Indian Wolf by its paler fur, smaller size and proportionally smaller head.[5]
Arabian wolves will attack and eat any domestic animal up to the size of a goat. As a result, farmers will not hesitate to shoot, poison, or trap them. Arabian wolves also feed on hares, rodents, ungulates, and any carrion they can find.
Arabian wolves will hunt small to medium sized animals such as cape hares, Dorcas Gazelles and ibexes, though they will feed on carrion and livestock when in the vicinity of human settlements.[6]
In Oman, the wolf population has increased significantly since hunting was banned, and there is a strong possibility that they will naturally reestablish themselves in certain places within the region in the relatively near term. In Israel, there are between 100 and 150 Arabian wolves all over the Negev and the Arava.
The wolf was frequently mentioned in the Scriptures as an enemy to flocks (Sirach 13:21; Matthew 7:15), and an emblem of treachery and ferocity, and bloodthirstiness. The tribe of Benjamin, owing to its warlike character, was often compared to a wolf in the Old and New Testament of the Bible.