Jordan Country Study on Biological Diversity: Mammals of Jordan

The biodiversity of mammals in the Middle East was and is still of great interest for local and European zoologists. Also, this area received the attention due to its religious and geographic location making it a land bridge between Europe, Africa and Asia. Regionally, the mammals of the Middle East, especially the Arabian Peninsula were best studied by Harrison & Bates (1991). Other books are back dated, as Hatt (1959) for his treatment of the Iraqi mammals, Osborn & Helmy (1980) for Egypt, and Stuart & Clyton (1983) for Kuwait, while still our knowledge of the Syrian mammals remains poorly known and based entirely on Atallah's contribution in the mid 60's. On the other hand, Qumsiyeh (1996) published the first and the most comprehensive treatment of the mammals of the Holy Land, including Jordan. As stated in Chapter 2, mammalogical studies were extensive within the past decade and culminated in additional records as well as to better understanding for the status of the mammals in Jordan. This work is an update for the mammals of Jordan, with emphasis on their distribution, ecology and conservation.