30 Wild Animals in Saudi Arabia [Wildlife in Saudi Arabia]

Learn All About Saudi Animals

Ready to learn all about Saudi 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 Saudi Arabia has on the land, in the sky, and underwater.

I’ve split the guide into 4 categories:

• Native animals from Saudi Arabia
• Endangered animals of Saudi Arabia
• What is Saudi Arabia national animal?
• How many animals native to Saudi Arabia?

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

Native Animals from Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a large Asian country located in the western part of the continent, east of the Red Sea. It is the fifth-largest country in Asia, is home to the two holiest cities in Islam (Mecca and Medina), has the world’s second-largest oil reserves and sixth-largest gas reserves, and is a high-income economy, the only one from the Arab world being part of the G20 major economies in fact. It is bordered by Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, and its capital and largest city is Riyadh, which counts more than 7,676,000 inhabitants.

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 Saudi Arabia.

Here’s the Saudi Arabia animals list.

1. Hamadryas baboon

• Name: Hamadryas baboon
• Scientific name: Papio hamadryas
• Conservation status: Least concern

The hamadryas baboon is a species of Old World monkey native to the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, making it one of the northernmost species of baboon.

In Saudi Arabia, you will find hamadryas baboons in the Sarawat region. They inhabit savannas, rocky and arid areas, as well as cliffs for both sleeping and finding water. Depending on the season, they feed either on plant material such as leaves, blossoms, grasses, and seeds, or animal sources such as insects, worms, scorpions, and spiders.

2. 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 spread throughout the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula; although its range is quite wide, it is very unevenly distributed.

This gazelle is particularly adapted to arid and desert areas. It lives in the ‘Uruq Bani Ma’arid protected area of Saudi Arabia, alongside other species such as the goitered gazelle and the Arabian oryx.

3. Arabian oryx

• Name: Arabian oryx
• Scientific name: Oryx leucoryx
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The Arabian oryx is arguably the most well-known and emblematic animal from the Arabian Peninsula. It is a medium-sized species of antelope, particularly famous for its very long, straight horns. It can be found in the steppe and desert areas of the Arabian Peninsula.

After becoming extinct in the wild during the 1970s, it became the first animal ever to revert to vulnerable status in 2011. Now, there are about 1,220 individuals in the wild and 6,000 to 7,000 of them in captivity.

4. Goitered gazelle

• Name: Goitered gazelle
• Scientific name: Gazella subgutturosa
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The goitered gazelle, also known as the black-tailed gazelle, is a species of gazelle found in several countries around Central and West Asia, from Saudi Arabia to northern China and Mongolia. Its scientific name refers to the tendency of males to have an enlargement of the throat and neck during the mating season.

Previously, it was thought that the Arabian sand gazelle, which occurs in Saudi Arabia, was a subspecies of the goitered gazelle, but it was declared a separate species.

5. Arabian leopard

• Name: Arabian leopard
• Scientific name: Panthera pardus nimr
• Conservation status: Critically endangered

The extremely rare and elusive Arabian leopard is a subspecies of the leopard native to the Arabian Peninsula. It can be found in very scarce populations around the Asir Mountains of Saudi Arabia, in the southwestern area of the country.

This leopard lives in hilly steppes and mountainous uplands and used to be much more widely distributed throughout the coasts of the Red and the Arabian seas, until the end of the 1960s. Since then, its habitat has declined by more than 90 percent, and it has been subject to poaching.

6. Caracal

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

The caracal is a medium-sized species of wild cat native to the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It has long, tufted ears as well as long, slender legs.

This animal is both nocturnal and elusive, making it particularly difficult to spot. It inhabits the forests, semi-deserts, and scrub forests of Saudi Arabia, and is an adept climber, swimmer and leaper: in fact, it can catch birds in midair!

7. Arabian tahr

• Name: Arabian tahr
• Scientific name: Arabitragus jayakari
• Conservation status: Endangered

The Arabian tahr is a species of wild goat native to the eastern parts of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the smallest species in its group and has horns for both sexes.

This stockily built mammal has an impressive mane, which extends down the back, more and more depending on the age. It can be found at an elevation of up to 1,800 m / 5,900 ft above sea level.

8. Arabian wolf

• Name: Arabian wolf
• Scientific name: Canis lupus arabs
• Conservation status: Data deficient

The Arabian wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf native to the Arabian Peninsula. Aside from Saudi Arabia, it is also found in Jordan, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Negev Desert.

While it used to be abundant throughout the entirety of the Arabian Peninsula, the Arabian wolf now only lives in very small, scattered areas, primarily because of human persecution. In Saudi Arabia, it is protected in multiple areas and still exists in places with few human activities.

9. Sand cat

• Name: Sand cat
• Scientific name: Felis margarita
• Conservation status: Least concern

The sand cat, also known as the sand dune cat, is a small species of wild native to the stony and sandy deserts of Africa, western Asia, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula. It is particularly well camouflaged in desert environments and can survive for a very long time away from water sources.

The paws of this cat are covered in long hair, which is ideal to fight the extreme conditions of the desert (either hot or cold).

10. Honey badger

• Name: Honey badger
• Scientific name: Mellivora capensis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The honey badger, also known as the ratel, is a species of mammal with a very wide distribution, ranging from almost the entirety of sub-Saharan Africa to the Indian subcontinent, as well as the Arabian Peninsula.

Particularly ferocious and muscular for its size, it has very few natural predators. It has the least specialized diet of its family and can feed on practically anything, from honey to insects, eggs, vegetables, and birds. When feeding on another animal, it can digest anything, even bones, hair, and feathers!

11. Griffon vulture

• Name: Griffon vulture
• Scientific name: Gyps fulvus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The griffon vulture, also known as the Eurasian griffon, is a large species of Old World vulture spread throughout Eurasia. In Saudi Arabia, it can be found on the cliffs of the Asir Mountains where it builds its nest.

Similar to other vultures, the griffon vulture is a scavenger; it soars over the plains, looking for a large carcass to feed on. It moves in flocks, and hisses and grunts when feeding.

12. Verreaux’s eagle

Derek Keats / CC BY

• Name: Verreaux’s eagle
• Scientific name: Aquila verreauxii
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Verreaux’s eagle, also known as the black eagle, is a large species of bird of prey mostly native to Africa, but also present in Saudi Arabia and the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula. Despite having a wide distribution, its populations are quite small.

This eagle almost exclusively feeds on rock hyraxes, and it is one of the most specialized eagles because of that. In case of a hyrax population decline, it will turn to antelopes, monkeys, birds, and other vertebrates.

13. Rock hyrax

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

Speaking of which, the rock hyrax, also known as the dassie, the rock rabbit, the coney, or the Cape hyrax, is a medium-sized species of mammal native to the Middle East and Africa. It usually lives around rock crevices, which it uses to escape potential predators, but it is often not enough against the power of the Verreaux’s eagle.

The rock hyrax is not endangered whatsoever, and is even considered a pest in some countries; in others, it even carries dangerous parasites!

14. Barbary falcon

Frank Vassen / CC BY

• Name: Barbary falcon
• Scientific name: Falco peregrinus pelegrinoides
• Conservation status: Data deficient

The Barbary falcon is a medium-sized species of falcon, about the same size as a crow. It can be found from western Africa and the Canary Islands to the Middle East and even Central Asia.

This falcon inhabits the dry, open hills and semi-desert areas of Saudi Arabia, where it lays its eggs on a cliff face. Previously considered endangered, its population is growing, but it suffers from its interactions with humans.

15. MacQueen’s bustard

Sergey Yeliseev / CC BY-NC-ND

• Name: MacQueen’s bustard
• Scientific name: Chlamydotis macqueenii
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

MacQueen’s bustard is a large species of bird native to the steppe and desert regions of Asia, and most likely extinct in eastern Europe. In Saudi Arabia, it lives around dense vegetation cover, often in areas with scrubby growth.

Because of the decline, this species is experiencing, Saudi authorities and international conservation organizations have been making conservation efforts since the 1970s. There has been a captive breeding facility for the MacQueen’s bustard in Saudi Arabia since 1986.

16. Golden jackal

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

The golden jackal is a species of wolf-like canid native to much of eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, and as far as Southeast Asia. It is smaller than the Arabian wolf, the smallest gray wolf subspecies, and is considered of least concern thanks to its very large numbers and wide distribution.

This jackal lives in Saudi Arabia’s valleys, usually near bodies of water. It is omnivorous and feeds on a wide variety of food sources such as rodents, birds, and fruit.

17. Striped hyena

Rohit Varma / CC BY-SA

• • Name: Striped hyena
  • Scientific name: Hyaena hyaena
  • Conservation status: Near threatened

The striped hyena, not to be confused with its much more famous counterpart, the spotted hyena (widely known as the laughing hyena), is a species of hyena found in the northern half of Africa, as well as the Indian subcontinent, western Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.

Because there are fewer than 10,000 mature individuals left in the wild, and their numbers are expected to decline by 10 percent over the next three generations, the striped hyena is considered near threatened with extinction.

18. Fennec fox

• Name: Fennec fox
• Scientific name: Vulpes zerda
• Conservation status: Least concern

The fennec fox is a small species of fox native to North Africa, and also found in parts of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the most famous emblems within its range and is the national animal of Algeria.

This fox has unusually large ears, constantly used in its habitat (arid, dry, and desert areas) in order to thermoregulate its body. During the day, it hides and rests in burrows, and it emerges at night to feed on small mammals, birds, and insects.

19. Cape hare

• Name: Cape hare
• Scientific name: Lepus capensis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Cape hare, also known as the desert hare, is a species of hare native to the Arabian Peninsula, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. It inhabits the grassland, semi-desert areas, and highlands of Saudi Arabia, and has well-developed legs, ideal for both leaping and running.

Similar to other hares, the Cape hare has large, constantly open eyes used to look out for potential threats. Interestingly enough, it had its dedicated hieroglyph in Ancient Egypt times.

20. Dugong

• Name: Dugong
• Scientific name: Dugong dugon
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The dugong is a large species of marine mammal native to the Indo-Pacific coastlines. It can be found in about 40 countries and lives in shallow waters next to the continental shelf. While it is forbidden to hunt throughout most of its range (because of over-hunting for several centuries), traditional hunting is still permitted in some Pacific Islands.

Because of its very low reproduction rate, the dugong is particularly at risk of extinction.

21. Indian crested porcupine

• Name: Indian crested porcupine
• Scientific name: Hystrix indica
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Indian crested porcupine is a large species of rodent native to southern Asia and the Middle East. It inhabits the western parts of Saudi Arabia, and dwells in grasslands, temperate shrublands, plantations, gardens, and forests; on the whole, it prefers rocky habitats.

This porcupine has a very broad diet, and feeds on both plant and animal material, from insects and small vertebrates to tubers, fruits, roots, bulbs, and drupes.

22. Desert hedgehog

• Name: Desert hedgehog
• Scientific name: Paraechinus aethiopicus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The desert hedgehog is a species of mammal native to northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the smallest of all hedgehogs and has a unique, distinctive black muzzle, as well as large ears, ideal for dissipating heat in hot environments.

Except for the southeasternmost areas of Saudi Arabia, the desert hedgehog can be found everywhere in the country. After being born deaf and blind, with quills still under the skin, it becomes much more difficult to catch when it grows up, having dangerous quills all around its body.

23. Nubian ibex

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

The Nubian ibex is a species of wild goat native to the desert mountains of the Middle East, as well as northern and northeastern Africa. After being considered a subspecies of the Alpine ibex for quite a while, it is now considered its own species.

There are about 1,200 Nubian ibexes in the wild, and it can be found in Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Sudan, and Yemen, aside from Saudi Arabia. It prefers dry, rough, and mountainous terrain, and feeds on leaves and grasses.

24. Rüppell’s fox

• Name: Rüppell’s fox
• Scientific name: Vulpes rueppellii
• Conservation status: Least concern

Rüppell’s fox, also known as Rüppell’s sand fox, is a species of fox native to the semi-desert and desert regions of the Middle East, southwestern Asia, and North Africa. It is either crepuscular or nocturnal and rests in small, individual dens throughout the day.

Similar to most other foxes, Rüppell’s fox is an omnivore: it feeds on almost anything, from lizards and small mammals to birds, beetles, fruits, and grasses.

25. African wildcat

• Name: African wildcat
• Scientific name: Felis lybica
• Conservation status: Least concern

The African wildcat is a small species of wildcat native to Africa, but also to China, India, as well as Central and West Asia. It is the earliest known example of domestication and close relation between humans and cats: it was found in a grave in Cyprus next to its supposed owner, dating back to about 9,500 years ago!

This cat is nocturnal and has very precise hearing. Thanks to it, it is able to locate its prey, which is mainly rats, mice, birds, insects, and reptiles.

26. Osprey

• Name: Osprey
• Scientific name: Pandion haliaetus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The osprey, also known as the fish hawk, the river hawk, or the sea hawk, is one of the most widespread species of bird of prey in the world. It can be found on almost any continent, outside of Oceania, and lives near bodies of water.

In Saudi Arabia, you will mostly find the osprey alongside the western coast (near the Red Sea) and the eastern coast (near the Persian Gulf).

27. Great white pelican

• Name: Great white pelican
• Scientific name: Pelecanus onocrotalus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The great white pelican, also known as the eastern white pelican, the rosy pelican, or simply the white pelican, is a very large species of bird native to sub-Saharan Africa, as well as parts of Asia such as the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent.

It lives on the western coast of Saudi Arabia and usually stays in large colonies. It has a unique way of eating, using its gular pouch to scoop up as much water as possible, and only retaining the fish.

28. Brown booby

• Name: Brown booby
• Scientific name: Sula leucogaster
• Conservation status: Least concern

The brown booby is another large species of seabird, and the most widespread and common of the booby family. It lives in subtropical and tropical environments, always on the shoreline, and primarily feeds on squid and fish.

This bird moves in flocks, and they dive together and plunge to take small fish, especially those driven near the surface by deeper predators; what a tragic situation for these poor fish!

29. Common genet

Steve Garvie / CC BY-NC-SA

• Name: Common genet
• Scientific name: Genetta genetta
• Conservation status: Least concern

The common genet is a small species of viverrid native to Africa and introduced to parts of southwestern Europe. It inhabits savanna zones, and also lives on the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman.

This mammal is solitary and nocturnal, and is mainly active just after sunset and before sunrise, although juvenile individuals might be active during the day. Although not seriously threatened, the common genet has been extensively hunted for its fur in parts of northern and southern Africa.

30. Pharaoh eagle-owl

• Name: Pharaoh eagle-owl
• Scientific name: Bubo ascalaphus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Pharaoh eagle-owl is a medium-sized species of owl native to North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. In Saudi Arabia, it can be found in the northern and eastern parts of the country, where it inhabits open and arid country with rocky plains and cliffs.

This owl has a very large range and is pretty abundant, which is why it is listed as least concern. It forms a lifelong bond with its mate and breeds at the end of the winter.

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So there you have them, these were my 30 animals found in Saudi Arabia. I hope you enjoyed this list and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about Saudi Arabia wild animals, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Endangered Animals of Saudi Arabia

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 Saudi Arabia.

Here are the animals in danger of extinction in Saudi Arabia.

Extinct in the wild

• Saudi gazelle

Critically endangered

• Sand tiger shark
• Hawksbill sea turtle
• Scalloped hammerhead
• Green sawfish
• Rüppell’s vulture
• and 13 more…

Endangered

• African spurred tortoise
• Arabian himri
• Lappet-faced vulture
• Gray reef shark
• Pallas’s fish-eagle
• and 33 more…

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

What is the National Animal of Saudi Arabia?

The national animal of Saudi Arabia is the dromedary.

The dromedary, also known as the dromedary camel, the Arabian camel, or the one-humped camel, is a large species of ungulate spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. It has been largely domesticated and is by far the most common of the camels (about 95 percent of the global population).

This mammal has been present in Saudi Arabia for more than 10,000 years, and it was chosen as the national emblem of the country because of its use as a working animal and for transportation. For centuries, the dromedary has been key to travel through the arid and desert regions of Saudi Arabia.

How Many Animals Native to Saudi Arabia?

What is the diversity of native animals in Saudi Arabia?

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

Total number of animal species in Saudi Arabia: 1,665 (5,029 in total in West and Central Asia)

More About Animals in the World!

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

Then check out these posts:

• Wild Animals in Palestine
• Wild Animals in Oman
• Wild Animals in Kuwait

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

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