Authors
Abdel Fattah N. Abd Rabou , Abboud Y. El-Kichaoui, Tarek A. El-Bashiti, Huda E. Abu Amra, Amal Y. Aziz3, Mouna M. Rifi, Rimel M. Benmessaoud, Mourad M. Cherif, Ola A. Abd Rabou6, Asmaa A. Abd Rabou, Othman A. Abd Rabou, Norman A. Khalaf,Jehad Y. Salah, Mo
Pages From
528
Pages To
-568
ISSN
2162-1993
Journal Name
Open Journal of Ecology
Volume
15
Issue
9
Keywords
Vertebrate Fauna, Mummification and Preservation, Exotic vs. Native, Biology Department Museum, October 7, 2023 Israeli War, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine
Abstract

Palestine (27,000 km2
) is home to a diversity of marine and terrestrial vertebrate fauna of Afrotropical, Oriental and Palaearctic origins. Numerous vertebrate species have been mummified and preserved in the Biology Department Museum at the Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine. The
the Biology Department Museum at the Islamic University of Gaza between
2018 and early 2023. This work provides the only published record of this collection, which was bombarded and destroyed during the Israeli war on the
Gaza Strip following October 7, 2023. Using field guides and taxonomic keys,
the authors identified 156 species, belonging to 92 families and 43 orders, distributed across six vertebrate classes, identifying the proportions of native, invasive, and endemic species. Bony fishes constituted 33.6% of the total recorded species, followed by birds (30.1%), reptiles (15.4%), cartilaginous fishes
(5.1%), mammals (3.9%), and amphibians (1.9%). Of the 68 recorded bony
fish species, 27 (39.7%) were described as invasive, with the Silver-cheeked
Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) being considered one of the worst marine
invasive species worldwide. The Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and the
Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) were considered invasive birds and
posed a threat to the ecology of the Gaza Strip. Three endemic species were
recorded during the study; the Palestine Viper (Daboia palaestinae), the Palestine Sunbird (Cinnyris osea) and the Palestine Mole-rat (Spalax leucodon
ehrenbergi). In conclusion, the study recommends that, in the event of political stability in the Gaza Strip, model museums be established under the auspices of the responsible authorities. These museums would benefit students, researchers, and all segments of Palestinian society, and would contribute to increasing ecological awareness of wildlife and its sustainable conservatio study documents specimens of marine and terrestrial vertebrates preserved in