12 Wild Animals in Lebanon [Wildlife in Lebanon]

Learn All About Lebanese Animals

Ready to learn all about Lebanese animals?

I’ve always been fascinated by animals, and by how they can be so different from one country to another. In this guide, we’ll focus on the many animals Lebanon has on the land, in the sky, and under water.

I’ve split the guide into 6 categories:

• Native animals from Lebanon
• Endangered animals of Lebanon
• What is the national animal of Lebanon?
• How many animals native to Lebanon?
• What is the most common animal in Lebanon?
• Does Lebanon have wolves?

Let’s dive in right away with our first category!

Native Animals from Lebanon

Lebanon is an Asian country located in the western part of the continent, lying at the crossroads of the Arabian hinterland and the Mediterranean Basin. It is one of the smallest countries in all of Asia, was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, and it used to be a French colony. It is bordered by Israel and Syria, and its capital and largest city is Beirut, which counts more than 361,000 inhabitants (but more than 2,200,000 if you include the metropolitan area!).

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its wildlife. In light of that, I have listed the best of it, and I hope you will love learning what animals live in Lebanon.

Here’s the Lebanon animals list.

1. Middle East blind mole-rat

• Name: Middle East blind mole-rat
• Scientific name: Nannospalax ehrenbergi
• Conservation status: Data deficient

The Middle East blind mole-rat, also known as the Palestine mole-rat is a species of rodent native to the Levant, which is Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and Syria, as well as Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. It inhabits Mediterranean-type shrubbish vegetation and is often considered a pest in the cultivated fields of Lebanon.

While we don’t know for sure what the conservation status of this species should be, what is certain is that it is seriously threatened by habitat loss.

2. Nubian ibex

• Name: Nubian ibex
• Scientific name: Capra nubiana
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The Nubian ibex is a species of goat native to northern and northeastern Africa and the Middle East. Previously considered a subspecies of the Alpine ibex, it is now a species of its own, and there are about 1,200 individuals remaining in the wild.

This ibex is listed as vulnerable to extinction because of its small, declining population that faces threats such as competition with livestock, habitat destruction, and hunting pressure.

3. Persian fallow deer

• Name: Persian fallow deer
• Scientific name: Dama mesopotamica
• Conservation status: Endangered

The Persian fallow deer is another grazer that can be found in Lebanon. While it used to be found anywhere in the Middle East, its range has now greatly shrunk, and it can only be seen in Lebanon, Israel, and Iran.

There were only a handful of Persian fallow deers left during the 1960s, but thanks to a captive breeding program, its population has now grown to more than 1,000; however, it is still considered endangered.

4. Golden jackal

• Name: Golden jackal
• Scientific name: Canis aureus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The golden jackal is fairly common in Lebanon, and it can be seen in the forests near villages and in nature reserves. It is a species of wolf-like canid native to eastern Europe and southern, southwestern, and southeastern Asia that inhabits valleys near bodies of water such as lakes and canals.

Similar to the gray wolf, it is highly adaptable and can feed on almost anything within its range, from fruit and insects to small ungulates and domestic livestock.

5. Egyptian mongoose

• Name: Egyptian mongoose
• Scientific name: Herpestes ichneumon
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Egyptian mongoose, also known as the ichneumon, is a species of mongoose native to the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea and much of sub-Saharan Africa; it has also been introduced to the Iberian Peninsula, and it inhabits savannas, shrublands, and tropical and subtropical grasslands.

This mongoose is active during the day and preys on rodents, birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians to survive. It is threatened by snaring in agricultural areas and used in animal rituals.

6. Eurasian otter

• Name: Eurasian otter
• Scientific name: Lutra lutra
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The Eurasian otter, also known as the Eurasian river otter, the Old World otter, or the common otter, is a species of semi-aquatic mammal native to most of Eurasia, the Indian subcontinent, southeastern Asia, and northwestern Africa.

This mammal is strongly territorial and mostly feeds on fish. Because of pollution from pesticides, habitat loss, and hunting, the Eurasian otter declined across all of its range during the second half of the 20th century; now, it is considered near threatened.

7. Greater spotted eagle

• Name: Greater spotted eagle
• Scientific name: Clanga clanga
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The greater spotted eagle, also simply known as the spotted eagle, is a large species of bird of prey that can be found in a very wide area, from Eurasia and southern Asia to northeastern Africa and the Middle East: depending on the season, it is either a resident or a migratory bird.

This eagle mostly feeds on small mammals such as rodents, but also frogs, birds, insects, and reptiles. During the winter, it becomes more generalist and eats whatever it can find.

8. Caracal

• Name: Caracal
• Scientific name: Caracal caracal
• Conservation status: Least concern

The caracal is a medium-sized species of wild cat native to Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. It has long legs and tufted ears, and is an adept climber, swimmer and leaper: in fact, it can catch birds in midair!

This wild cat is nocturnal and secretive, being very hard to observe. In countries such as India, Persia, and Egypt, some individuals were tamed and used for coursing.

9. Egyptian fruit bat

• Name: Egyptian fruit bat
• Scientific name: Rousettus aegyptiacus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Egyptian fruit bat, also known as the Egyptian rousette, is a species of megabat native to Africa, the Mediterranean, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. It is highly social and lives in colonies of several thousand members.

This fruit bat is, as its name suggests, a frugivore, and it can consume a wide variety of fruits depending on availability and the season. In some areas, it is considered a pest by farmers because of its consumption of commercial fruits.

10. Rock hyrax

• Name: Rock hyrax
• Scientific name: Procavia capensis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The rock hyrax, also known as the Cape hyrax, the rock rabbit, the coney, or the dassie, is a medium-sized species of terrestrial mammal native to the Middle East and Africa. It can be found at elevations up to 4,200 m / 13,800 ft above sea level, and it lives near rock crevices, ideal to escape from potential predators.

This hyrax is considered a minor pest in some areas, can carry parasites, and is not endangered.

11. Mountain gazelle

• Name: Mountain gazelle
• Scientific name: Gazella gazella
• Conservation status: Endangered

The mountain gazelle, also known as the Palestine mountain gazelle, is a species of gazelle that can be found in Israel, Lebanon, the West Bank, Turkey, Jordan, and the Golan Heights. Despite having a very wide range, this species is unevenly distributed, and there are only 3,100 of them in Israel, and fewer than 3,000 in their natural range.

This gazelle is well-adapted to dry, desert-like conditions and spends most of its time at the top of hills and… mountains.

12. Eurasian eagle-owl

• Name: Eurasian eagle-owl
• Scientific name: Bubo bubo
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Eurasian eagle-owl, also known as the Uhu or the eagle-owl, is a species of eagle-owl widespread and common in Eurasia. It is one of the largest species of owl in the world, with a wingspan of 188 cm / 6 ft 2 in, and it has unique, characteristic ear tufts, much like the caracal or the lynx.

This owl can be found in a broad range of habitats, from mountainous and rocky areas to steppes, wetlands, and coniferous forests.

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So there you have them, these were my 12 native animals of Lebanon. I hope you enjoyed this list and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about animals in the country, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Endangered Animals of Lebanon

This is definitely the saddest part of the list, but it is very important to raise awareness. Because of this, let’s go through the list of endangered animals in Lebanon.

Here are the animals in danger of extinction in Lebanon.

Extinct in the wild

• None

Critically endangered

• Angelshark
• Scalloped hammerhead
• Tope
• European eel
• Blackchin guitarfish
• and 8 more…

Endangered

• Spinetail devil ray
• Mediterranean monk seal
• Steppe eagle
• Egyptian vulture
• Orontes spined loach
• and 18 more…

To see the full list of endangered species in Lebanon, head over to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

What is the National Animal of Lebanon?

The national animal of Lebanon is the striped hyena.

The striped hyena, not to be confused with its famous relative, the laughing hyena or the spotted hyena, is a species of hyena native to the Middle East, East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.

In Middle Eastern folklore, it has a reputation of treachery and stupidity and is known for attacking livestock. The striped hyena can easily be tamed and even fully trained!

ucumari photography / CC BY-NC-ND

How Many Animals Native to Lebanon?

What is the diversity of native animals in Lebanon?

Let’s look at the total number of species of Chordata (mammals, birds, fishes, and reptiles).

Total number of animal species in Lebanon: 856 (5,029 in total in West and Central Asia)

What is the most common animal in Lebanon?

There are lots of common animals in Lebanon, especially migratory birds, and rodents, but the most common one has to be the red squirrel.

This small species of rodent is spread throughout much of Eurasia and in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. It is arboreal, and very common within its range. Depending on the area, it is more or less threatened and is for instance seriously declining in North America because of the introduction of the eastern gray squirrel, a very serious competitor.

Does Lebanon have wolves?

Although they are quite rare, there are indeed wolves in Lebanon.

Most of the populations are concentrated in El Shouf Biosphere Reserve, as well as other forests and nature reserves around the country. The gray wolf is one of the most widely known predators and a specialized pack hunter. Its global range has shrunk over the years, which profits other animals such as the golden jackal or the red fox.

More About Animals in the World!

Loved these Lebanon wildlife facts? Want to see what animals live in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Wild Animals in Bahrain
• Wild Animals in Egypt
• Wild Animals in Jordan

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

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