The Barbary stag (''Cervus elaphus barbarus''), also known as the Atlas deer or African elk, is a subspecies of the

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

that is native to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. It is the only deer known to be native to Africa, aside from '' Megaceroides algericus'', which went extinct approximately 6,000 years ago.

Description

Cervus elaphus barbarus (Tierpark Berlin) - 1005-887-(118)

The Barbary stag is smaller than the typical red deer. Its body is dark brown with some white spots on its flanks and back. The antlers lack the bez (second) tine.

Range/habitat

Cervus elaphus barbarus, Tierpark Berlin, 523-629

The Barbary stag is the only member of the deer family that is native to Africa. It thrives in dense, humid forested areas of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

. It had initially been hunted to extinction in the latter, but specimens from the Tunisian population were reintroduced in the 1990s.Le programme d'espèces d'UICN et la Commission UICN de la sauvegarde des espèces et TRAFFIC
"Résumés des Analyses UICN/TRAFFIC des propositions d'amendement aux Annexes de la CITES pour la Quatorzième session de la Conférence des Parties"
Retrieved on 2008-12-28. One population can be found in

Tazekka National Park Tazekka National Park is a national park of Morocco. It was created in 1950 with an initial area of 6.8 km² to protect the natural resources around Jbel Tazekka (elevation 1,980 m), particularly the grove of cedars (''Cedrus atlantica''), w ...

in the

Middle Atlas The Middle Atlas (Amazigh: ⴰⵟⵍⴰⵙ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵎⴰⵙ, ''Atlas Anammas'', Arabic: الأطلس المتوسط, ''al-Aṭlas al-Mutawassiṭ'') is a mountain range in Morocco. It is part of the Atlas mountain range, a mountainous region ...

Mountains.
Flora and Fauna
' - Park National de Tazekka, (official web page of the National Park).

Nomenclature

Recent genetic studies indicate that the North African red deer population is practically indistinguishable from the

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

n and Corsican populations, generally referred to as the

Corsican red deer The Corsican red deer (''Cervus elaphus corsicanus''), also known simply as the Corsican deer or Sardinian deer, is a population of red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') found on the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France). Chara ...

. This strongly argues for an ancient introduction of red deer from North Africa to these Mediterranean islands by humans. Further analysis suggests that the Barbary stag, including the Corsican red deer, belongs to a separate species, and should be grouped under the name ''Cervus corsicanus''.

Predators

Predators of the Barbary stag include, or included, the

Barbary lion The Barbary lion, also called the North African lion, Berber lion, Atlas lion, and Egyptian lion, is an extinct population of the lion subspecies '' Panthera leo leo''. It lived in the mountains and deserts of the Barbary Coast of North Africa, ...

, the

Atlas bear The Atlas bear and African bearBryden, H. A. (ed.) (1899)''Great and small game of Africa''Rowland Ward Ltd., London. Pp. 544–608. Schaller, p. 220–21. (''Ursus arctos crowtheri'') is an extinct population or populations of brown bear native ...

, the Barbary leopard, and the African wolf, but these have become either

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

or extinct in the region where the Barbary stag occurs.

References

External links

US Fish & Wildlife Service entry for the Barbary stag

Description
(Spanish)
Inclusion of ''Cervus elaphus barbarus'' (Atlas deer) in Appendix I of CITES
(with a description of this species) {{Taxonbar, from=Q788101 Elk and red deer