Queen of Sheba's Gazelle
| Queen Sheba's Gazelle | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Antilopinae |
| Genus: | Gazella |
| Species: | G. bilkis |
| Binomial name | |
| Gazella bilkis Groves & Lay, 1985 |
|
The Queen of Sheba's Gazelle or Yemen Gazelle (Gazella arabica bilkis), is an extinct subspecies of the Arabian Gazelle, which is also extinct. It is sometimes regarded as a species in its own right: Gazella bilkis. It was found on the mountains and hillsides in Yemen but there have been no sightings of the species since 1951, when five specimens were collected in mountains near Ta'izz, where it was reportedly common at the time.[1]
There have been no further specimens, sightings or reports of this gazelle. Surveys in the area of their former occurrence have failed to find any sign of its presence.[2]
In 1985, a photograph of gazelles was taken in a private collection, Al Wabra Wildlife Farm, in Qatar. Zoologist Colin Groves claims these could possibly be surviving Queen of Sheba's Gazelles.[3] It is not confirmed that these animals truly belong to this species. In short, this species was extinct before being known, the specimen was collected, they were told that there was this kind, but when they were looking for, was already extinguished for reasons not known
[edit] References
- ^ a b Participants at the 4th International Conservation Workshop for the Threatened Fauna of Arabia (2008). Gazella bilkis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 5 January 2009.
- ^ Mallon, D.P. and Al-Safadi, M. 2001.Yemen. In: D.P. Mallon and S.C. Kingswood (compilers). 2001. Antelopes. Part 4: North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Global Survey and Regional Action Plans, pp. 63-68. IUCN, Gland.
- ^ Research in Arabia, 1987 and 1992: visits to King Khalid and National Wildlife Research Centres (Saudi Arabia), Al Wabra Wildlife Farm (Qatar), Al-Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve (Bahrain) and Al Ain Zoo (United Arab Emirates). Downloaded on 29 December 2006 from http://arts.anu.edu.au/grovco/Arabia.htm
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