Small mammals are just as likely to become extinct as larger species, although the latter receive disproportionate attention with respect to conservation activity and research. We focused on rarity, vulnerability to extinction and conservation status for small terrestrial mammals from the orders Soricomorpha and Rodentia occurring in the Balkans and Anatolia. Although these two regions have fewer mammalian species than Central Europe in very small biota areas (surface areas 4 km2), they accumulate species at a much faster rate with increases in surface area. The distribution ranges of fifteen species from a total of 88 (= 17%) are confined to this studied area, with eight species being endemic to Anatolia and six to the Balkans. High endemism is indicative of small ranges, i.e. of one form of rarity of Rabinowitz’s ‘seven forms of rarity’ model. The ranges of at least three species (Talpa davidiana, Myomimus roachi and Dinaromys bogdanovi) have declined since the Last Glacial Maximum. Although numbers of extinctions correlates strongly with the number of endemics, and species displaying both restricted distribution and low density are those most at risk of extinction, very little conservation activity and research is focused on small-range endemics.
The little owl is the only owl whose pellets were found in extreme desert conditions. Pellets were collected at 34 roosting sites in Egypt, Syria and Iran in 1996–2002. Altogether 5 939 prey items identified in the food in these countries belonged to 4 classes, 14 orders, 42 families, 92 genera and about 180 species of invertebrates. Mammals included 36 species (9.7 %), birds 33 taxa (3.0 %), amphibians only 3 ind., but reptiles (4.3 %, Lacertidae, Agamidae and Gekkonidae) were more abundant than in European studies. Pellets from all countries contained abundant deserticolous species of mammals (genera Gerbillus, Meriones, Cricetulus, Allactaga), eudominant deserticolous tenebrionid beetles (i.e. Pimelia spp., Blaps) (16.4–26.8%, in total 19%), dominant coprophagous and deserticolous species of Scarabeidae (5.9–8.6%, in total 6.8%), grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera, 5.7–16.4%, in total 9.7%). Significant and characteristic components of food in these arid countries were poisonous sunspiders (Solifugae 4–11.4%), but also scorpions (Scorpionidea, 0.2–3.3%), neither being found in pellets from Europe, and earwigs (Dermaptera, 1.7–13.4%).