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Saudi Arabian Mammals
Saudi Arabian Wildlife Home Saudi Birds Saudi Reptiles Saudi Insects Saudi Fossils
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Although desert mammals are are not commonly seen, there are species that jump out at you. Camels, of course, are all over the place, but there are surprises. I found the cute little hedge hog at the security gate outside of the compound where I work. A troop of baboons live outside of Riyadh and make their living, among other ways, by raiding the date farms in the background of the photo. (For more on these baboons follow this link: Saudi Baboons.)
There are in this beautiful country a variety of mammalian inhabitants. Camels are naturally expected, but hedge hogs, baboons, and wolves? That came as a pleasant surprise. Here lives the Arabian leopard, oryx, and gazelle. Ibex, mongoose, hyenas, wild dogs, and sand cats all have their place in the vast Arabian peninsula. Not that this desert wildlife is easy to find or see. Generally the wildlife enthusiast here has to look hard for members of the warm blooded clan. Reptiles, particularly lizards, rule the sandy list when it comes to number of species and availability. But the desert is a book that is rewritten every day and night. Come out early in the morning and read the the latest chapter temporarily imprinted in the sand and you are instantly aware that more than just lizards inhabit the burrows, canyons, and wadis of this land.
On the left are traces of what might be a kangaroo rat. I found the carcass of this little fellow outside of a fox den. The tiny hoof prints on the right were very common in one location. Hard to tell if they are goat tracks or one of the three specie of gazelles that live here.
Many times while walking in the desert I catch a fleeting glimpse of a sand fox. Always in the distance and always quick to flee they must be quite common judging by the number of times I've seen them and their borrows. Unlike most desert creatures the time or heat of day does not appear to be a large factor as to when I see one of these guys. Can you find the fox in the photo below?
The photo on the left came from one of the news agencies here in Saudi and shows the surprising size of the Saudi Wolf. That is a a respectably sized dog in any country, all the more amazing considering that this large predator has to sustain itself and its family on desert fare. He may have been raiding goat and camel herds, but it is a shame that the fellow had to shoot this fine animal.
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