Abstract
This chapter discusses Quaternary fauna of Israel. For terrestrial faunas, the desert belt was effective as a barrier to entry into the Levant only in Late Neogene and Pleistocene times. The rapid desiccation process, which intensified with time, caused the fauna left within the developing desert zone to undergo rapid adaptation to arid habitats. Faunas that originated in the northern realm freely invaded the Levant and North Africa; thus, the main zoogeographical units were established. Isolation of tropical faunas was at first only partially effective, but toward the late Pleistocene, it became almost total. Cooler steppe conditions, which prevailed during the Pliocene, humid at the beginning and becoming more arid toward the end, established Asiatic steppe biomes as far as northern African Atlantic shores. A swift retreat of wood and forest dwelling species took place during postglacial times, partly on the brink of historical time. The dual effect of climate and man forced a few forest dwellers far northward.
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