List of mammals of the United Arab Emirates
This is a list of the mammal species recorded in the United Arab Emirates. There are thirty-five mammal species in the United Arab Emirates, of which five are endangered, five are vulnerable, and one is near threatened.
The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:
EX | Extinct | No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. |
EW | Extinct in the wild | Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range. |
CR | Critically endangered | The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild. |
EN | Endangered | The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. |
VU | Vulnerable | The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. |
NT | Near threatened | The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future. |
LC | Least concern | There are no current identifiable risks to the species. |
DD | Data deficient | There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species. |
Subclass: [Theria]
Infraclass: [Eutheria]
Order: [Sirenia] (manatees and dugongs)
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Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered.
- Family: Dugongidae
- *Genus: Dugong
- ** Dugong, Dugong dugon VU
Order: [Rodent]ia (rodents)
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40% of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to.
- Suborder: Myomorpha
- *Family: Muridae
- **Subfamily: Gerbillinae
- ***Genus: Gerbillus
- **** Wagner's gerbil, Gerbillus dasyurus LC
- **** Balochistan gerbil, Gerbillus nanus LC
Order: [Lagomorpha] (lagomorphs)
Lagomorphs comprise rabbits, hares, and pikas. Unlike rodents; they have four incisors on their upper jaws.
- Family: Leporidae
- *Genus: Lepus
- ** Cape hare, Lepus capensis LC
Order: [Erinaceomorpha] (hedgehogs and gymnures)
The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines while gymnures look more like large rats.
- Family: Erinaceidae
- *Subfamily: Erinaceinae
- **Genus: Hemiechinus
- *** Desert hedgehog, Hemiechinus aethiopicus LC
Order: [Chiroptera] (bats)
The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.
- Family: Vespertilionidae
- *Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
- **Genus: Pipistrellus
- *** Kuhl's pipistrelle, Pipistrellus kuhlii LC
Order: [Cetacea] (whales)
s in Gulf of Oman
The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.
- Suborder: Mysticeti
- *Family: Balaenopteridae
- **Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
- ***Genus: Balaenoptera
- **** Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus EN
- **** Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus EN
- **** Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera brydei DD
- **** Minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata nt
- *Subfamily: Megapterinae
- **Genus: Megaptera
- *** Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae CR
- Suborder: Odontoceti
- *Family Physeteridae
- **Genus: Physeter
- *** Sperm whale, Physeter catodon
- *Superfamily: Platanistoidea
- **Family: Phocoenidae
- ***Genus: Neophocaena
- **** Finless porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides DD
- **Family: Delphinidae
- ***Genus: Delphinus
- **** Long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis LR/lc
- ***Genus: Sousa
- **** Chinese white dolphin, Sousa chinensis DD
- ***Genus: Tursiops
- **** Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus DD
- ***Genus: Stenella
- **** Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris LC
- ***Genus: Grampus
- **** Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus DD
- ***Genus: Pseudorca
- **** False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens DD
- ***Genus: Orcinus
- **** Killer whale, Orcinus orca DD
Order: [Carnivora] (carnivorans)
There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.
- Suborder: Feliformia
- *Family: Felidae
- **Subfamily: Felinae
- ***Genus: Caracal
- **** Caracal, Caracal caracal LC
- ***Genus: Felis
- **** Sand cat, Felis margarita NT
- **** African wildcat, Felis lybica LC
- **Subfamily: Pantherinae
- ***Genus: Panthera
- **** Arabian leopard, Panthera pardus nimr CR
- *Family: Hyaenidae
- **Genus: Hyaena
- *** Striped hyena, Hyaena hyaena NT
- Suborder: Caniformia
- *Family: Canidae
- **Genus: Vulpes
- *** Blanford's fox, Vulpes cana LC
- **Genus: Canis
- *** Golden jackal, Canis aureus LC
- *Family: Mustelidae
- **Genus: Mellivora
- *** Honey badger, Mellivora capensis LC
Order: [Artiodactyla] (even-toed ungulates)
The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.
- Family: Bovidae
- *Subfamily: Antilopinae
- **Genus: Gazella
- *** Arabian sand gazelle, Gazella marica VU
- *Subfamily: Caprinae
- **Genus: Hemitragus
- *** Arabian tahr, Hemitragus jayakari EN
- *Subfamily: Hippotraginae
- **Genus: Oryx
- *** Arabian oryx, Oryx leucoryx EN
- Family: Camelidae
- *Genus: Camelus
- **Dromedary, Camelus dromedarius LC