Thewildlife of Israel includes theflora andfauna ofIsrael, which is extremely diverse due to the country's location between thetemperate and thetropicalzones, bordering theMediterranean Sea in the west and the desert in the east. Species such as theSyrian brown bear and theArabian ostrich have become extinct in Israel because of theirloss of habitat.[1] As of May 2007, 190 nature reserves have been established in Israel.[2]
Israel contains a variety of mammals due to its geographical and climatic diversity. For many of the mammals, Israel is the border of their territory. The territories of species which originate in thePalearctic generally stop at the deserts and those who originate from the African deserts usually stop at the Mediterranean coasts. Most of the mammals in Israel are of a Palearctic origin and about a tenth of the mammals are endemic toits general area. The land of Israel once contained a greater variety ofmammals, however in recent times many mammals such as theEuropean water vole, theAsiatic cheetah and theCaucasian squirrel went locally extinct. The largestpredator in Israel was theArabian leopard which is now also believed to be locally extinct[3] due to the lack of sightings since 2011.In the modern age many mammal populations such as thesand cat are in a high risk of extinction. In total there are 57 species of mammals which are endangered (as of 2002) out of the total 104 species.[4] There are 33 species ofbats in Israel (as of 2002), the most species out of the ten mammalianorders currently in Israel, most of which are insect-eaters.[5] Researchers fromTel Aviv University found 12 species of bat living in old army outposts in theJordan Valley.[6]
Various animal species have become extinct due to unchecked hunting underOttoman rule and to a lesser extent underBritish Mandate rule, due to a non-enforcement of hunting laws. By the early 20th century, thewhite oryx,Syrian brown bear,Asiatic lion,red deer,Asiatic cheetah, andSyrian wild ass had become extinct in the region. Modern hunting laws prohibit all hunting of mammals, birds, reptiles andamphibians, except those consideredpests and specific animals in hunting seasons. However the packs of feral dogs that are taking over the countryside are an increasing threat to wildlife and domesticated animals.[7]
Rapidurbanization as well as overforestation (planting many denseeucalyptus andpine forests) have caused the destruction of many natural habitats in modern times. One of the most famous examples of habitats destroyed is the drying of swamps including theHula lake which caused the local extinction of theEuropean water vole andjungle cat. An ancient wave of urbanization during theIron Age resulted in the local extinction of theaurochs,bubal hartebeest, andhippopotamus.[8]
Another distinguished cause of endangerment is the past use ofDDT and other chemicals which has hurt all of thebirds of prey populations as well as the bat population (mainlyMicrochiroptera) which were also killed by human made lighting in the caves due to the suspicion that fruit-eating bats were harming local crops.
Some mammals that have gone locally extinct are beingreintroduced, such as thePersian fallow deer[9] and theroe deer.[10][11]
The extinctnarrow-nosed rhinoceros may have survived in Israel as recently as 15,000 years ago, which if correct would make it the youngest known record of the species.[12][13]
Israel has roughly 100 species ofreptiles, of which almost a third live in its northern areas. The extinction rate among reptiles has been relatively low here; reptiles that became locally extinct in the region around the beginning of the 20th century include theNile crocodile,European pond turtle,Levant viper, andNile monitor.[14][15]
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The number of amphibians in Israel has decreased dramatically since the last century mainly due to the drying of various swamps and wetlands by early settlers. TheHula painted frog was thought to beextinct until a female specimen was found in November 2011. Environmental improvements in the Hula reserve have been cited as a possible reason for the frog's re-emergence.[16]
The amphibians of Israel include five from theorderAnura (themarsh frog,Hyla savignyi, thevariable green toad, theeastern spadefoot toad, and theHula painted frog) and two from the orderUrodela (thefire salamander and thebanded newt). The banded newt, the eastern spadefoot toad, and the Hula painted frog are critically endangered.[5][17]
Thevariable green toad is the most widespread amphibian in Israel, living across nearly the entireMediterranean shore. While the toad is usually limited to areas with a constant supply of water, populations have begun to spread into drier places. Even though it has relative great range in Israel, a 55% decrease has been noted in activespawning sites, mainly due to destruction of habitats, water contamination and habitats being split by roads or train tracks. The population currently numbers at a few thousands.[17]
Theeastern spadefoot toad (Pelobates syriacus), also called Syrian spadefoot toad, is critically endangered and is locally extinct inJordan. The spadefoot lives in theIsraeli coastal plains, north ofHolon andAshdod. Only a few hundred adult toads remain in Israel due to splitting of habitats and the species' loyalty to their spawning spots. The spadefoot is aprotected species by law.[5][17][18]Thebanded newt (Ommatotriton vittatus vittatus) lives mainly in the northern areas of Israel, especially in theGalilee area, mostly invernal pools. The coastal shores nearAshkelon are the southern border for its global population. Small populations in more southern areas disappeared due to water contamination. They are inactive during the summer, staying underground inaestivation, and even in winter they are only active at night. The newts have slightly differentbreeding seasons depending on location, ranging from January–February in the coastal plains to February–March in the Galilee.[19] The banded newt is critically endangered in Israel (only 5% of the 1950s population remains) and is thus a protected species.[19][20][21]
Fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra salamandra orS. s. infraimmacullata) reside near the Mediterranean shores and are the least widespread of the amphibians of Israel. The salamanders have three distinct populations (inTel Dan,Mount Carmel and the Galilee). Compared to European populations, the adults have especially long legs and fingers and a more rounded head. The local populations differ in size (Tel Dan salamanders are much smaller), arrangement of spots on the skin and colour (ranging fromorange toyellow), in mating habits and times, as well as activity times (Tel Dan salamanders are active throughout most of the year because of their proximity to water). The populations are relatively stable. Nevertheless, they are an endangered species in Israel and one of the three amphibians to be a protected species.[17][19][22]
Marsh frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus) live almost exclusively near stable water pools or winter pools, mainly in north and central Israel. The frogs are active even during the summer and sometimes during the day. The frogs are lighter and slightly smaller than in other countries.[19]
Thecritically endangeredHula painted frog (Latonia nigriventer) is found in theHula Valley and wasendemic to the lake that used to fill the valley. The lake was drained in the 1950s to combatmalaria and create more farmland, but the draining of the lake led to the destruction of its uniqueecosystem. The frog was declaredextinct by theIUCN in 1996. In the 1990s, the southern part of the valley was flooded again, and in 2011 the Hula painted frog was rediscovered. The frog has since been reclassified as critically endangered.
Hyla savignyi, also known as Savigny's treefrog, is the most abundant amphibian in Israel, though its available breeding sites have decreased and it is considered "vulnerable". Populations reside in the NorthernNegev and north of it, though they once reached as far as theDead Sea. The population is estimated at a few thousands.[17][23]
Israel is currently home to about 1,728 species of fish, 410 of which in theMediterranean and 1,270 in theRed Sea. The rest, 48 species, are cultivated or wild freshwater fish. The fish population has declined and endemic species such asNemacheilus dori have become endangered.Acanthobrama hulensis became extinct in the 1970s following a decline in population after the drying of the Hula lake.[24] In 2012, theAcanthobrama telavivensis, was which was nearly extinct, reappeared in theYarkon River after a decade of rehabilitation and preservation efforts.[25] Einot Zukim, salinewetlands in the north of theDead Sea, is the only known place in the world where populations of blue and Dead Seakillifish (Nevit Hula and Nevit Yam Hamelakh) live side by side.[26]
Thelong jaw tristramella became extinct in 1990.
About 500 million birds from 500 species pass through Israel during the bi-annual migration season, from Europe and West Asia to Africa in the winter, and back in the spring. A program has been developed to build major birdwatching centres inEin Gedi andSde Boker. Existing stations will be upgraded inEilat, theJordan Valley andkibbutzimKfar Ruppin andMa'agan Michael.[27]
Lake Hula is the stopover point for tens of thousands of cranes migrating from Finland to Ethiopia every winter. In Israel, farmers set out food for them to keep them from damaging crops near the lake.[28]
The number ofraptors has been decreasing due to its prey becoming endangered or extinct as well as massive poisoning of some prey. About a fifth of the nesting birds are endangered (39 out of 206).[4]
Yossi Leshem, director of Israel's International Centre for the Study of Bird Migration, says that the country has one of the highest concentrations of bird traffic in the world per square mile. On a single morning at the Jerusalem Birdwatching Observatory, the staff has spotted 10,000 eagles.[29]
TheArabian ostrich has been extinct from Israel for years. An attempt was made to introduce theNorth African ostrich from captivity to the open areas and reserves of theNegev desert in Israel where once Arabian ostriches lived.[30]
Thenorthern bald ibis has beenextirpated from Israel.
Israel has about 30,000invertebrates, of which about 22,500 areinsects and 3,900 are non-insectarthropods.Among the invertebrates there is a wide variety ofmolluscs, of which about 230 are terrestrial, 850 are of theMediterranean and 1,120 are of theRed Sea. The insects of Israel belong to various ecological zones, but mainly to the Mediterranean. There are insects belonging to roughly 27orders in Israel, out of about 29 worldwide.[31]
Israel contains manyinvasive species brought by man, including scores ofmolluscs (the most common is the common garden snailCornu aspersum) which usually live around gardens and greenhouses but also in natural habitats of native molluscs. As of 2008, over 220 species of invasiveinsects have been identified, some of them considered pests.[32] The situation is little better withvertebrates, as a 2004 report reported that there are two mammalian invasive species (thecoypu andIndian palm squirrel), onefish species (mosquito fish), two reptilian species (thered-eared pond slider and theroughtail gecko) as well as 18 bird species. There are no amphibian invasive species, most likely due to the fact there are no suitable habitats for such.[33][34]
There are 2,867 known species of plants found in Israel.[35] Of these, at least 253 species areintroduced and non-native. Thecoastal plain andSharon regions are especially rich in endemic species. The Galilee fumitory (Fumaria thuretti Boiss), a rare flower with bright pink blossoms and an elongated bulge that collects nectar and attracts wild bees, was discovered in 2012 after botanists believed it was extinct.[36]
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