Photos of UAE mammals
There are 45 species of terrestrial mammals known to occur in the UAE either naturally, as introduced species, or to have become extinct within the last 75 years.
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Update 17 Sep 2022: Smugmug, the host of our photos, have corrupted some of the links below. If you click on a species, and a broken link appear, please go directly to the Mammals page by clicking here
Single-humped Camel, Camelus dromedarius
Arabian Leopard, Panthera pardus nimr
Caracal Lynx, Felis caracal schmitzi
Gordon's Wildcat, Felis silvestris gordoni
Sand Cat, Felis margarita
Feral Cat, Felis cattus
Blanford's Fox, Vulpes cana
Rüppell's Fox, Vulpes rueppelli
Ratel, Mellivora capensis (only tracks recorded in the UAE)
White-tailed Mongoose, Ichneumia albicauda
Indian Grey Mongoose, Herpestes edwardsi
Sand Gazelle, Gazella subgutturosa marica
Mountain Gazelle, Gazella gazella cora
Arabian Tahr, Hemitragus jayakari
Feral Goat, Capra aegagrus hircus
Brown Rat, Rattus norvegicus
Egyptian Spiny Mouse, Acomys cahirinus
Wagner's Gerbil, Gerbillus dasyurus
Baluchistan Gerbil, Gerbillus nanus
Cheeseman's Gerbil, Gerbillus cheesmani
Sundevall's Jird, Meriones crassus
Arabian Jird, Meriones arimalius
Indian Desert Jird, Meriones hurrianae
Lesser Jerboa, Jaculus jaculus
Cape Hyrax, Procavia capensis
Brandt's Hedgehog, Hemiechinus hypomelas
Ethiopian Hedgehog, Hemiechinus aethiopicus
Long-eared Hedgehog, Hemiechinus auritus
House Shrew, Suncus murinus
Savi’s Pygmy Shrew, Suncus etruscus
Egyptian Fruit Bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus
Muscat Mouse-tailed Bat, Rhinopoma muscatellum
Persian Leaf-nosed Bat, Triaenops persicus
Trident Leaf-nosed Bat, Asellia tridens
Hemprich's Long-eared Bat, Otonycteris hemprichii
Sind Serotine, Eptesicus nasutus
Kuhl’s Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus kuhlii
Naked-bellied Tomb Bat, Taphozous nudiventris
Bryde's Whale, Balaenoptera brydei
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Sousa chinensis
Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus
Introduced mammals:
Indian Palm Squirrel, Funambulus palmarum
Notes:
- Feral domestic cats are established in many parts of the UAE; the impact on native fauna is not known, but elsewhere, hybridisation with Wild Cats (Felis silvestris ssp) is known to be an issue.
- There have been several reported sightings of wolves and Hyaenas over the past 10 years, however these are unlikely to be resident in UAE. The EW classification by Hornby, 1996 is therefore likely to remain unchanged when the taxa are reevaluated.
- There have been no confirmed sightings of Ratel in UAE, the species has only ever been identified by tracks.
- Indian Grey Mongoose is thought to have established itself in the Northern Emirates as a result of specimens escaping from captivity.
- African Donkey (Equus africanus syn. E. asinus) is critically endangered throughout its original range, however it has been introduced and become feral in many parts of the world. The status and taxonomy of the species in the UAE is unclear. Bones belonging to an Equuid species (identified as E. africanus) have been found dating back 7,000 years.
- The presence of wild goats in UAE was documented in 1968 (Harrison 1968). However, no sightings of the species have been recorded since this date.
- Feral domestic goats (capra aegagrus hircus) have been introduced to several parts of UAE.
- Cape hyraxes were apparently introduced to Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain during the mid 1990’s; however, it is unlikely that they occur naturally in The UAE.
- Long-eared hedgehog is listed based on a single record from Abu Dhabi Emirate.
- The house shrew, a commensal species, was considered by Duckworth, as likely to occur although there are no formal records of its occurrence.