| Rewilding the Balearics; Restoring a Forgotten Ecosystem | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 2 2013, 02:12 PM (393 Views) | |
| Komodo | Jul 2 2013, 02:12 PM Post #1 |
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Overview The Balearics are a series of three small islands and numerous islets off the Iberian Peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, consisting of Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza. Mentions of these islands conjure images of sun, sea and tourist resorts but they all have a rich natural heritage, possessing numerous examples of endemic flora and fauna. Before the Pleistocene all islands had their own set of fauna, until the Ice Age arrived and sea levels dropped, joining Majorca and Menorca into one island and ending in the extinction of a lot of Menorca's endemic fauna, most notably the giant hare, Nuralagus (Link) that was outcompeted by new herbivores. From then on both islands shared similar fauna. Ibiza was an exception however, it was once home to many small mammals and a bovid but these mysteriously disappeared leaving it to be ruled by birds, bats and reptiles, only. All islands possessed many species that have now disappeared, declining when humans arrived on these islands. ![]() Species Balearic Islands Cave Goat Myotragus balearicus The Balearic Islands Cave Goat evolved from a family of ancestral sheep that arrived in Majorca when the sea levels dropped dramatically and it was connected to the mainland. When they rose once again, these ancestral ovids were stuck on the island but were free of predators so became smaller (it had a shoulder height of 50cm and weighing between 50 and 70kg, an example of island dwarfism) and evolved forward facing eyes and shorter legs as it had no need to spot or flee from danger. It also possessed a short snout, rodent like teeth in the bottom jaw (that gives it its other name the 'mouse-goat'), a large hump, a relatively long tail and a pair of short horns that were present in both sexes. The Cave Goat probably fed in the same way as modern day goats, browsing on shrubs and the low branches of trees, but had a tendency to native Balearic shrubs suchas the Balearic Boxwood and it is thought that at the time that the Balearic Cave Goat existed Majorca and Menorca (which they colonised at a later date when the two became interconnected) was covered in forest as opposed to the mixed forest-grassland terrain that exists today. The species became extinct some 3000 BC when Neolithic humans arrived and killed the species off through over-hunting, deforestation and the introduction of animals such as cows, pigs, sheep (which competed for food with them) and dogs (which hunted them). Interestingly, not all the goats that were taken into the caves of early settlers arrived dead but instead remained there for several years, some having their horns trimmed suggesting that the natives were attempting to domesticate them. This ultimately failed either because they didn't reproduce in captivity or it took to long for them to do so. It is a real shame that there is no skins or preserved bodies that would be possible to clone, as the Balearic Cave Goat was quite a unique animal. Possibly searches could be conducted in the high peaks of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range in Majorca for bodies in caves, but it is still unlikely that a specimen with skin samples would be found. Proxies could also be considered. Its closest relatives are the Ovis genus (the sheep family), possibly a species of either wild or domesticated species that could be bred into a goat like form, but I doubt this would its appearance enough or fill the correct ecological role as goats would. The best option would probably be to attempt to breed wild or domesticated goats into a form that resembles the Balearic Cave Goat and release a small population. Possibly behavioural changes would have to be made as the Cave Goat seems to nudge the backside of other males in an attempt to gain dominance rather than rut. Majorcan Giant Dormouse Hypnomys morpheus ![]() The Majorcan Giant Dormouse, as its name suggests, was a giant dormouse species that grew up to 29.5cm including the tail. Its closest living relative appears to be the Garden Dormouse (Eliomys quercinus), a creature that lives in the Balearic Islands today having its own subspecies there (E.q. gmnesicus) and another subspecies on the island of Formentera (South of Ibiza) (E.q. ophiusae). Selective breeding could be used to create a much larger breed of the Garden Dormouse and to make it live on the forest floor more frequently, as research suggests the Giant Dormouse did. Ibiza Rail Rallus eivissensis Ibiza was a very unique place in prehistory as it lacked any terrestrial land predators or mammals (except from a species of bat) and so creatures such as the Ibiza Rail evolved. It evolved from the Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) of mainland Europe (as depicted above) and because of the absence of predators evolved to be slightly smaller and stouter, shorter wings, shorter, more robust hind limbs and probably had reduced flight capability. It probably lived in brackish lowland swamps (Ibiza was wetter due to better tree cover. It possibly inhabited Formentera as well. The Ibiza Rail became extinct when humans arrived, between 5,300-4,350 BC. Water Rails could be selectively bred to resemble the Ibiza Rail quite easily, although they would probably breed with resident Water Rails. |
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7:20 PM Jul 11