Kingdom animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class birds
Order Struthioniformes
Family Struthionidae
Gender Struthio
SpeciesStruthio camelus
SubspeciesStruthio camelus syriacus
The Arabian Ostrich, Struthio camelus syriacus, was a subspecies that inhabited the desert plains of the Middle East, in Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Israel and southern Arabian Peninsula.
Its appearance dates back to at least 2000 BC. a., since sculptures representing these ostriches exist that date from this time. There are also accurate descriptions of these, written considerable years ago by medieval Arab naturalists.
Much sought after due to the flavor of its meat, leather quality and exuberance of its feathers; the introduction of firearms in the region, due to the First World War, together with the loss of habitats for human occupation, allowed the number of these individuals to reduce considerably.
In the 1920s, when this fact was detected, the London Zoo tried to artificially incubate eggs, in an attempt to recover this subspecies. Without success in this endeavor, Struthio camelus syriacus was declared extinct in the middle of the 20th century.
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By Mariana Araguaia
Graduated in Biology
Brazil School Team
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"Extinct animals" section
Extinct animals -Animals -Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
ARAGUAIA, Mariana. "Arabic Ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus)"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/animais/avestruzarabe-struthio-camelus-syriacus.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.