"A Guide to Mammals in Israel", by Benny Shalmon.
Keter publ., 1993.
This book has over 100 delightful lifelike illustrations of a surprising variety of mammals found in Israel. It has been an endless source of fun and invaluable information for our whole family in the process of its illustration. You can read this story below. It's been our family's very favorite, and we hope you join us and enjoy the fruits of Tatiana's labor.
 "A Guide to Mammals in Israel". Cover.
The book is a part of a series of guides this publisher produced over the years. All illustrations done in watercolor, whitening and Indian ink on paper.
 1. Eastern (East European) Hedgehog.
Erinaceus concolor
 2. Long-Eared Hedgehog.
Hemiechinus auritus
 3. Desert (Ethiopian) Hedgehog.
Paraechinus aethiopicus
 4. Lesser White-Toothed Shrew.
Crocidura suaveolens
 5. Bicolored White-Toothed Shrew.
Crocidura leucodon
 6. Savi's (Pygmy) White-Toothed Shrew.
Suncus etruscus
 7. Egyptian Fruit-Bat.
Rousettus aegyptiacus
 8. Larger Rat-tailed Bat. 9. Lesser Rat-Tailed Bat.
Rhinopoma microphyllum. Rhinopoma hardwickii
 10. Naked-Bellied Tomb Bat.
Taphozous nudiventris
 11. Egyptian Tomb Bat.
Taphozous perforatus
 12. Egyptian Slit-Faced Bat.
Nycteris thebaica
 13. Greater Horseshoe Bat.
Rhinolophus ferumequinum
 14. Geoffroy's (Cretzschmar's) Horseshoe Bat.
Rhinolophus clivosus
 15. Mediterranian Horseshoe Bat.
Rhinolophus euryale
 16. Mehely's Horseshoe Bat.
Rhinolophus mehelyi
 17. Blasius' Horseshoe Bat.
Rhinolophus blasii
 18. Lesser Horseshoe Bat.
Rhinolophus hipposideros
 19. Trident Leaf-Nosed Bat.
Asellia tridens
 20. European Free-Tailed Bat.
Tadarida teniotis
 21. Egyptian Free-Tailed Bat.
Tadarida aegyptiaca
 22. Geoffroy's Bat.
Myotis emarginatus
 23. Natterer's Bat.
Myotis nattereri
 24. Long-Fingered Bat.
Myotis capaccinii
 25. Greater Mouse-Eared Bat.
Myotis myotis
 26. Lesser Mouse-Eared Bat.
Myotis blythii
 27. Serotine.
Eptesicus serotinus
 28. Botta's Serotine.
Eptesicus bottae
 29. Schlieffen's Bat.
Nycticeinops schlieffeni
 30. Kuhl's Pipistrelle.
Pipistrellus kuhlii
 31. Common Pipistrelle.
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
 32. Savi's Pipistrelle.
Pipistrellus savii
 33. Desert Pipistrelle.
Pipistrellus Ariel
 34. Bodenheimer's Pipistrelle.
Pipistrellus bodenheimeri
 35. Kuppel's Pipistrelle.
Pipistrellus rueppellii
 36. Hemprich's Long-Eared Bat.
Otonycteris hemprichii
 37. Grey Long-Eared Bat.
Plecotus austriacus
 38. Long-Winged Bat (Schreibe's Bat).
Miniopterus scheibersii
 39. Eastern (Arabian) Barbastelle.
Barbastella leucomelas
 40. Noctule.
Nyctalus
 41. Cape Hare.
Lepus capensis
 42. Persian Squirrel.
Sciurus anomalus
 43. Grey Hamster.
Cricetulus migratorius
 44. Northern Water Vole.
Arvicola terrestris
 45. Sicial (Gunther's) Vole.
Microtus socialis (guentheri)
 46. Snow Vole.
Microtus nivalis
 47. Anderson's Gerbil.
Andersoni allenbyi
 48. Greater Egyptian Gerbil.
Gerbillus pyramidum
 49. Lesser Egyptian Gerbil.
Gerbillus gerbillus
 50. Cheesman's Gerbil.
Gerbillus cheesmani
 51. Baluchistan Gerbil.
Gerbillus nanus
 52. Wagner's Gerbil.
Gerbillus dasyurus
 53. Pygmy Gerbil.
Gerbillus henleyi
 54. Bush-Tailed Jird.
Sekeetamys calurus
 55. Fat Sand Rat (Fat Jird).
Psammomys obesus
 56. Tristram's Jird.
Meriones tristrami
 57. Buxton's Jird (Negev Jird).
Meriones sacramenti
 58. Sandevall's Jird.
Meriones crassus
 59. Lybian Jird.
Meriones libycus
 60. Broad-Toothed (Rock) Mouse.
Apodemus mystacinus
 61. Yellow-Necked Mouse.
Apodemus flavicollis
 62. Hermonian Mouse.
Apodemus hermonensis
 63. Cairo Spiny Mouse.
Acomys cahirinus (dimidiatus)
 64. Golden Spiny Mouse.
Acomys russatus
 65. House Mouse.
Mus musculus
 66. Short-Tailed Bandicoot Rat.
Nesokia indica
 67. House Rat (Ship Rat).
Rattus rattus
 68. Common (Brown) Rat.
Rattus norvegicus
 69. Asian Garden Dormouse.
Eliomys melanurus
 70. Forest Dormouse.
Dryomys nitedula
 71. Lesser Egyptian Jerboa.
Jaculus jaculus
 72. Greater Egyptian Jerboa.
Jaculus orientalis
 73. Palestine Mole Rat.
Spalax ehrenbergi
 74. Coypu.
Myocastor coypus
 75. Indian Crested Porcupine.
Hestrix indica
 76. Wolf.
Canis lupus
 77. Golden Jackal.
Canis aureus
 78. Red Fox.
Vulpes vulpes
 79. Sand Fox.
Vulpes rueppellii
 80. Blandford's Fox.
Vulpes cana
 81. Fennec.
Vulpus (Fennecus) zerda
 82. Eurasian Badger.
Meles meles
 83. Ratel, Honey Badger.
Mellivora capensis
 84. Marbled Polecat.
Vormela peregusna
 85. Beech Marten.
Martes foina
 86. European Otter.
Lutra lutra
 87. Weasel.
Mustela nivalis
 88. Egyptian Mongoose.
Herpestes ichneumon
 89. Small-Spotted Genet.
Genetta felina
 90. Striped Hyaena.
Hyaena hyaena
 91. Wild Cat.
Felis silvestris
 92. Jungle Cat.
Felis chaus
 93. Sand Cat.
Felis Margarita
 94. Caracal.
Felis (caracal) caracal
 95. Leopard.
Panthera pardus
 96. Cheetah.
Acinonyx jubatus
 97. Syrian Rock Hyrax.
Procavia capensis
 98. Onager, Asiatic Wild Ass.
Equus hemionus
 99. Wild Boar.
Sus scrofa
 100. Roe Deer.
Capreolus capreolus
 101. Mesopotamian Fallow Deer.
Dama (Cervus) mesopotamica
 102. Mountain Gazelle.
Gazella gazella gazella
 102b. Prairie Gazelle.
Gazella gazella ssp.
 103. Dorcas Gazelle.
Gazella dorcas
 104. Nubian Ibex.
Capra ibex
 105. Arabian Oryx.
Oryx leucoryx
The Story of This Book
At the time this book was being illustrated, I was studying at the Technion, Haifa.
Every time I called, I would naturally ask my mother what she was doing at the moment. We have always loved play on words, and it has always been, and remains with me, a favorite pastime. So she would answer something like "mousing", "squirrelling" or "hedgehogging", according to the animal she was drawing at the time (only in Russian, of course).
Animal drawing wasn't usual for her. But like every project she did, my mother was passionate about the subject. This book was made in Hebrew, with the English and Latin names of the animals the only exception. She did not know the names of most of these animals in either of the three languages. So she would look up the names of strange or unfamiliar animals, delighting in putting together something she has seen or read about in the distant past with the current picture and book. We would laugh together at the silly-sounding Latin names, such as the triple gazella (item 102), or the double hyaena (item 90).
She got ridiculously excited about some trivia, and would give it to me over the phone. Thus I got to know there were over 30 types of bats in Israel - an indispensable piece of knowledge, I thought to myself. Then I went and promptly frightened one of my roommates into insomnia - she was not aware of ANY bats living in Israel and was terrified of the poor harmless creatures.
Another time we have learned the erronious use of the name "zayatz" (something like "hare") for the animals which were, actually, rabbits in Russia and Russian folk lore, and consequently in Israel, as Israeli folk lore and modern Hebrew language was mainly put together by immigrants from Russia, who brought their linguistic errors with them. We learned of the strange animals called "Syrian Rock Hyrax", or rock coney, rock "shafan" in Hebrew, who live all over the place and whose closest relatives appear to be... elephants. Mother was endlessly amused by this fact and that it had something to do with the development of toenails.
The rock coney, it appears, is the real "zayaz". The age-long error was due to the fact that in Europe and Russia this animal is not known, being a resident of the Mediterranian countries and the Middle East. So they took it to be something like a rabbit.
An interesting historical fact is that these animals gave Spain its name. In Hebrew, and in the bible, this animal is called "shafan". The early sea-faring Israelite tribe of Naftali (according to some historians) sailed across the Mediterranian sea and stumbled upon what they thought of as an island, populated with lots of "shfanim" (the plural of "shafan"), scattering every which way at their approach. So they named the land "shafan island" (i hashfanim), which was later transcribed hi-shpanim - to become "hispania" (España).
Fascinating, this trivia was to my mother. And she was quite right, too.
Now my son and I take out the book and look-up all about the many Israel-dwelling bats, following Batman's series. It means a lot to him that his grandmother illustrated the book.
We live in the Upper Galilee, and many of the above featured mammals are thriving here. Nightly we go to sleep to the jackals' song, we see them cross the road, fleeing the cars when we drive. There are boars, badgers, foxes, mogooses, hedgehogs, bats and whatnot. And each time I see them I think of this book and the fun we had when my mother was working on it. Now isn't it just the best way to remember someone?
Vera Kofyan |
