Folia Sahariana, Vol.1, No.1 (2001)
Struthio camelus eggshell fragments in area of the
salt lake Chott El-Djerid in southern Tunisia

�lomky sko��pek p�tros�ch vajec v oblasti soln�ho jezera
Chott El-Djerid v ji�n�m Tunisku

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Key words: Aves, Struthionidae, Struthio camelus, southern Tunisia, eggshell fragments.
Material. Ostrich eggshell fragments were found in May 1998 on the top of the hill belongs to sand dune Bargu, which is approximately 15 km southwest of Kebili. Locality is situated just at the border of the salt lake Chott El-Djerid. 19 fragments (Fig. 1) are in two color tinge: white and brown. At the place where eggshell fragments occur were in historical time few mud brick houses together with near natural well which is dried up now. Fragments were found together with potsherd of old pottery and one coin (Fig. 2a, 2b - upper and lower side), which origin could be probably same time period as eggs fragments. At the present the place of discovery is without any people activity except of occasional tourism. As my friends from the near oasis told me findings like this one are sometime possible at all hills around in this area as wind uncover upper sand stratum. Discovery of one fragment (Fig. 3) we were made one year before - in September 1997 about 2 km east of Bargu at hill called Ben Zettun under similar circumstances.

Local name: na'ma, (naama)

DISCUSSION

According to LAVAUDEN (1924; fide KOCK, 1991) last reported evidence on Struthio camelus presence in southern Tunisia are Ain Mader between Zarzis and Medenine in 1887 and Draa de Zerkin 30 km south of Gabes in 1888. At present there is the project with re-introduction of this species back to nature in Djebel Bou Hedma National Park near Maknassy (KOCK, 1991).

Because the ostrich eggs are well known delicacy (JENNINGS, 1986) I suppose these fragments are from eggs which varied diet of the local settlers more than one hundred years ago.

REFERENCES

Note: In December 1999 other 5 fragments of ostrich egshells together with some sharp flints and potsherd of old pottery were found on hill Beschmi about 1 km NE of Bargu.
SOUHRN

�lomky p�tros�ch vajec byly nalezeny v kv�tnu 1998 v severn� ��sti kopce p�il�haj�c�ho k p�se�n� dun� Bargu, kter� se nach�z� 15-20 km ji�n� od Kebili p��mo v sousedstv� soln�ho jezera Chott El-Djerid. 19 �lomk� sko��pek (Fig.1) je ve dvou barevn�ch odst�nech: b�l� a hn�d�. Na m�st� n�lezu st�la v ned�vn� historick� dob� hlin�n� lidsk� obydl� v bl�zkosti povrchov�ho pramene, kter� je v sou�asnosti vyschl�. Sko��pky byly nalezeny spolu s �lomky keramiky a jednou minc� (Fig.2a,2b), kter� je pravd�podobn� ze stejn� doby jako sko��pky. V sou�asn� dob� nejsou pahorky os�dlen�. Jak jsem si ov��il u sv�ch p��tel z o�zy, jsou tu obdobn� n�lezy mo�n� na v�ech vhodn�ch vyv��en�ch lokalit�ch v okol�, jak v�tr postupn� odkr�v� svrchn� n�nosy p�sku. Obdobn� n�lez 1 �lomku (Fig.3) jsme s p��teli u�inili ji� o rok d��ve v z��� 1997 asi 2 km v�chodn� od Bargu na kopci naz�van�m Ben Zetun.

M�stn� nazev: n�ma

DISKUSE

LAVAUDEN (1924; fide KOCK, 1991) uv�d� posledn� pozorov�n� �iv�ch p�tros� v ji�n�m Tunisku od Ain Mader mezi Zarzisem a Medenine v roce 1887 a od Draa de Zerkin, 30 km ji�n� od Gabesu v roce 1888. V sou�asn� dob� prob�h� projekt reintrodukce p�trosa zp�t do p��rody v n�rodn�m parku Djebel Bou Hedma pobl� Meknassy (KOCK, 1991).

Vzhledem k oblib� p�tros�ch vajec �lov�kem (JENNINGS, 1986) se domn�v�m, �e �lomky poch�z� z vaj��ek sb�ran�ch zdej��mi osadn�ky jako lah�dka na dopln�n� j�deln��ku p�ed v�ce jak sto lety.

Pozn.: V prosinci 1999 bylo nalezeno dal��ch 5 �lomk� p�tros�ch vajec spolu s n�kolika v�t��mi �lomky pazourk� a keramikou na kopci zvan�m Beschmi asi 1 km SV od Bargu.

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