Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 116, August 2014, pp. 1-23. | Page 18
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faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and
other small animals. They can see in near darkness. Like most other mammals,
cats have poorer color vision and a better sense of smell than humans
(Wikipedia).
Despite being solitary hunters, cats are a social species, and cat communication
includes the use of a variety of vocalizations (mewing, purring, trilling, hissing,
growling and grunting) as well as cat pheromones and types of cat-specific body
language (Wikipedia).
Cats have a rapid breeding rate. Under controlled breeding, they can be bred and
shown as registered pedigree pets, a hobby known as cat fancy. Failure to control
the breeding of pet cats by neutering, and the abandonment of former household
pets, has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, requiring population
control (Wikipedia).
Since cats were cult animals in ancient Egypt, they were commonly believed to
have been domesticated there, but there may have been instances of
domestication as early as the Neolithic from around 9500 years ago (7500 BC).
A genetic study in 2007 concluded that domestic cats are descended from African
wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) c. 8000 BC, in the Near East. According to
“Scientific American”, cats are the most popular pet in the world, and are now
found in almost every place where humans live (Wikipedia).
Arabian Baboon (Papio hamadryas Linnaeus, 1758)
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166 فلَمَّا ع َتوا عنْ ما نهُوا ع ْنه قُ ْل َنا لَهم كونوا قِردة خاسِ ئٌِن . سورة اْلعراف ، اآلٌة
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َ
The Arabian or hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) is a species of baboon from
the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons, being
native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
These regions provide habitats with the advantage for this species of fewer
natural predators than central or southern Africa where other baboons reside.
The hamadryas baboon was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians and
appears in various roles in ancient Egyptian religion, hence its alternative name
of 'sacred baboon' (Wikipedia).
Apart from the striking size difference between the sexes (males are often twice
as large as females), which is common to all baboons, this species also
shows sexual dimorphism in coloration. The fur of males is silver-white in color
and they have a pronounced cape (mane and mantle) which they develop
around the age of ten, while the females are capeless and brown. Their faces
range in col or from red to tan to a dark brown (Wikipedia).
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 116 – August 2014