On the Mummified Marine and Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna Adorning the Biology Department Museum at the Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine, before the Israeli War on October 7, 2023

Palestine (27,000 km2) is home to a diversity of marine and terrestrial vertebrate fauna of Afrotropical, Oriental and Palaearctic origins. Numerous vertebrate species have been mummified and preserved in the Biology Department Museum at the Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine. The study documents specimens of marine and terrestrial vertebrates preserved in the Biology Department Museum at the Islamic University of Gaza between 2018 and early 2023. This work provides the only published record of this collection, which was bombarded and destroyed during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip following October 7, 2023. Using field guides and taxonomic keys, the authors identified 156 species, belonging to 92 families and 43 orders, distributed across six vertebrate classes, identifying the proportions of native, invasive, and endemic species. Bony fishes constituted 33.6% of the total recorded species, followed by birds (30.1%), reptiles (15.4%), cartilaginous fishes (5.1%), mammals (3.9%), and amphibians (1.9%). Of the 68 recorded bony fish species, 27 (39.7%) were described as invasive, with the Silver-cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) being considered one of the worst marine invasive species worldwide. The Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and the Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) were considered invasive birds and posed a threat to the ecology of the Gaza Strip. Three endemic species were recorded during the study; the Palestine Viper (Daboia palaestinae), the Palestine Sunbird (Cinnyris osea) and the Palestine Mole-rat (Spalax leucodon ehrenbergi). In conclusion, the study recommends that, in the event of political stability in the Gaza Strip, model museums be established under the auspices of the responsible authorities. These museums would benefit students, researchers, and all segments of Palestinian society, and would contribute to increasing ecological awareness of wildlife and its sustainable conservation.