Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 20, December 1990, pp. 1-11. | Page 4

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(Harrison 1981).
Measurements: Total length 1140 mm.; Tail 320 mm.; Hind foot 184-197 mm.; Ear
80-92 mm.; Greatest length of skull 184.5-220 mm. (Harrison 1981).
Ellerman and Morrison-Scott (1951) do not state which wolf subspecies occurs in
Palestine but, because they include northern Arabia in the distribution area of
Canis lupus pallipes Sykes 1831, it may be concluded that this subspecies also
occurs in Palestine (Mendelssohn 1982). Wolves in Palestine display a wide range
of size and colour differences. Tristram (1884) considered them to be larger and
stronger than European specimens.
Palestinian wolves are larger and darker in areas of higher rainfall, and smaller
and lighter-coloured in arid areas.
Size difference of specimens of the same sex is apparent. For example the
condylobasal length (CBL) of the skull for a male near Haifa was 218.4 mm., and
for a male from the Naqab, the CBL was 185.3 mm. The distance between
collection localities was 250 kilometer (Mendelssohn 1982).
Precipitation in Palestine is highest in the north and west, and decreases toward
the south and east. The lower Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea depression, The
Naqab Desert and the Wadi Araba are deserts with less than 150 mm. annual
rainfall.
The largest wolves are all from areas with more than 400 mm. annual rainfall and
a Mediterranean climate and vegetation, whereas the smaller wolves inhabit the
more arid areas with less than 400 mm. rain (Mendelssohn 1982).
For Mediterranean Canis lupus pallipes wolves, the average CBL for males was
214.5 mm., and for females 203.8 mm. For the Desert Canis lupus pallipes wolves,
the average CBL for males was 205.1 mm., and for females 193.8 mm. While the
Palestinian southern subspecies Canis lupus arabs Pocock 1934, has an average
CBL for males 192.9 mm., and for females 181.1 mm. (Mendelssohn I982).
In the desert areas (less than 400 mm. rain), two sizes of wolves occur. Most
desert wolves are quite uniform in size, but in the most southern area with less
than 50 mm. rain, and in southern Sinai, much smaller wolves occur. They not
only have smaller skulls, but also smaller bodies. The males had CBLs of less
than 200 mm., and the females had CBLs of less than 190 mm.
Although the larger wolves in Palestine can be divided ??????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
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