The Wildlife in Saudi Arabia includes many interesting animals that many legends originated from these animals. A creature that sings in the water and creates the illusion of a mermaid, and a deer that has horns like a unicorn. In this article, we’ll explore some of the region’s distinctive wildlife, including the Arabian oryx, caracal, hyenas, Arabian leopard, Arabian red fox, eagle-nosed turtle, Manatee, spiny tailed lizard, and baboon.
Arabian oryx: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
Arabian oryx: This animal is like a large and white deer, but its horns are not branched like those of deer, but simple and curved. It is said that when viewed from the profile, it looks like a unicorn, and the legend of the unicorn comes from this animal. This animal lives in the wild only in the Middle East and Arabia desert, but it became completely extinct in the wild a few years ago, and it only lives in captivity, and efforts were made to increase and revive it in the wild. These efforts have been successful and their population has increased a lot.
Iranian deer: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
Iranian deer is one of the most beautiful and important species of wildlife that lives in very small areas of Arabia and depends on pastures and dry plains. This animal is a symbol of beauty and peace and is also very popular in artistic and literary works.
Caracal: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
This is an Arabian lynx that has different names, including Caracal, which is its Turkish name. Kara means black and Kolak means ear. But it has been called Vashq by other names. And one of its Arabic names is Washq al-Farsi, which means Iranian lynx. The caracal lives in Saudi Arabia and even Iran, especially in Yazd province of Iran. Caracal is a wild cat with a slender and strong appearance that lives in the deserts and arid regions of Arabia. Although this animal is wild and strong, it is very afraid of humans. Especially, if he sees a car, he is scared that he can even get close to it and touch it. Its behavior has caused many drivers to take it to the vet after seeing an animal that has dried up out of fear, thinking that it is sick, but this is a natural feature of the Arabian wild cat.
Hyenas: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
Hyena can even digest the bones of its prey and it is very important for the ecosystem. The Arabian desert is not without the blessing of hyenas, of course, the other feature is the long laughs and funny giggles of this animal.
This laughing animal makes its long laughs and giggles even in the Arabian deserts. But some have said that it is in Saudi Arabia that it will have its last loud laugh. Because Saudi people hunt this animal and eat its meat! Along with lizards and grasshopper, another popular food of Saudi people is the hyena.
Arabian leopard: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
The Arabian leopard is one of the important species of desert hunters that lives in the deserts of Arabia. This animal is known as one of the most powerful hunters in this area with the most deceptive hunting methods. This is a very small leopard and its weight is 30 kilos at most. Few of them remain in the wild and only in the Arabian desert.
Arabian Red Fox: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
This cute and intelligent fox has adapted to the heat of Arabia, the ears of this type of fox are much bigger than other foxes. It is abundant in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and especially in the country of Oman.
Eagle-nosed turtle: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
The eagle-nosed turtle is an interesting animal that migrates in the seas, and they are also found in the Persian Gulf. They are seen a lot on the Arabian coast and also in the Iranian part, especially Qeshm Island. But in the southern and Arabian coasts, due to the activities of the oil industry and the pollution of the seas, most of the turtles have escaped and are rarely seen.
Manatee: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
The manatee has been legendary throughout history with its interesting appearance. According to old sailors, the appearance of this animal was similar to a mermaid, especially its interesting tail. In addition, there is a shrill voice that sounds like a human voice. The shape and song of these animals in the old days have caused the legend that mermaids sing an attractive song and lures sailors and cause danger to sailors. The manatee lives in shallow waters and can be seen in the waters around Arabia.
The spiny tailed lizard: Wildlife in Saudi Arabia
It is a large lizard, its size reaches up to 85 cm. This lizard is found a lot in Arabia, North Africa and Iran. Some keep it as a pet. And in Morocco it is used medicinally. In Saudi Arabia, it is called dabb and it is a delicious food for them. Unfortunately, it is on the verge of extinction in Iran, and people are not aware of the value of this animal.
Baboon: wildlife in saudi arabia
Baboon is one of the large and social animals in the Saudi wildlife that lives in the forest and mountain areas of this region. This animal has adapted to the heat of Arabia.
domestic animals of Saudi Arabia
There are some domestic animals native to Saudi arabia.
camel
Camel is a very interesting animal that is made to withstand dehydration and high heat. Its body can lose a lot of water without any problems, because of this, its veins are elastic and can become very narrow. For this reason, the red blood cells of this animal, which are spherical in other animals, are bean-shaped in this animal and are bent so that they do not get blocked when the veins are narrowed due to dehydration.
Arabian horse: wildlife in saudi arabia
Arabian horse is a big and beautiful horse and is very friendly to its owner. Although it is a strong animal, it has its sensitivity and needs for its care. The heat of Saudi air has made this horse more dependent on humans. Although the Arabian horse came from Arabia, it can also be found in other parts of the world. Napoleon’s horse was a large Arabian horse. In Iran, especially in Kerman province, very good Arabian horses are bred.
Aloe vera plant
When we think of aloe vera, we might think of it coming from Brazil or South America or somewhere else. But this plant actually came from Arabia. Aloe vera is a beautiful plant that can be kept at home, but it should not be given too much water because it is used to desert drought.
Of course, apart from this plant, coffee and the beautiful acacia plant are also attributed to the Arabian desert.
see also: our umrah package
Conclusion:
Many of the wild animals of Saudi Arabia have adapted to the heat and have been living in this region for thousands of years. Not only does Saudi Arabia have mysterious deserts, but its wildlife is also mysterious. For years, the people of the Sahara have created interesting stories from these animals that are still heard by our children around the world.
