Scientific name:

Caracal caracal schmitzi

Family: 

Felidae

Appearance:

Tan or sandy in colour with a white underside, long tufts of black hair on the tips of its pointed black ears, long legs and a short tail. They are similar to a lynx, but caracals have no pattern on their coat.

Habits:

The fastest cat of its size, the caracal can tackle prey two to three times its size. It can also jump up to six feet and catch flying birds. Another interesting feature of the caracal is the barking noise it produces to warn of dangers. Unfortunately for the caracal in the UAE, its most significant threat is habitat loss and fragmentation.

Scientific name:

Vulpes vulpes arabica

Family: 

Canidae

Appearance:

The Arabian red fox is highly adapted to desert life with larger ears, a smaller body, and less red in colour than European red foxes.. They have a white-tipped tail that is longer than half their body length, and fur between the toes to prevent feet from burning. The back of the ears is dark grey.

Habits:

This fox is a solitary animal with well-defined home ranges. Its diet consists of rodents, birds, insects and other arthropods, as well as some desert vegetation or even carrion. Most active at night, the Arabian red fox has a lifespan of about 2-4 years in the wild and 10-12 years in captivity.

Scientific name:

Arabitragus jayakari

Family: 

Bovidae

Appearance:

A small but stocky, wild, goat-like animal. Both males and females have stubby, backward-arching horns, and are reddish brown in colour with a dark line down the spine. Males have manes that grow longer with age.

Habits:

The Arabian tahr is the smallest species of tahr. The entire wild global population of Arabian Tahr occurs in the Hajar Mountains, between Oman and the UAE. It is estimated that there are only 15 left in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Unlike other species of tahr, the Arabian tahr is solitary or lives in small groups consisting of a female and a kid, or a female and a male, instead of forming herds. Key threats to the Arabian Tahr are habitat destruction, competition with domestic goats, hunting, predation and climate change.

Scientific name:

Elanus caeruleus

Family: 

Accipitridae

Appearance:

A bird of prey that is mostly white or grey with black patches on its shoulders, black wing tips and a black eye stripe.

Habits:

This long-winged raptor has falcon-like wings that extend beyond the tail when the bird is perched. In flight, its short and square tail is visible, and it is not forked as is typical to kites of the genus Milvus.

Scientific name:

Vulpes cana

Family: 

Canidae

Appearance:

A small, brown-grey fox with a bushy tail nearly equal to its body length and large ears. It has a black line along the spine and tail.

Habits:

Blanford's foxes are strictly nocturnal, and feed mainly on insects and fruit. They are solitary animals, which generally live for four or five years, and no longer than 10 years in the wild. They were first recorded in Arabia in 1981, while the first record of them in the UAE was in 1995. Blanford's fox is named after English naturalist William Thomas Blanford, who described it in 1877.

(C) Image by Eyal Bartov - CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Scientific name:

Paraechinus hypomelas

Family: 

Erinaceidae

Appearance:

A small and spiny mammal with large ears. It is covered with an armament of dorsal spines from the base of the head to the rear, leaving the top of the head bald. The species ranges in colour from dark brown to dark grey to black. The spines on the flanks are dark tipped.

Habits:

Brandt's hedgehog is approximately the size of the West European hedgehog (about 500–1,000g in weight and 25cm in length), but has distinctively large ears and is a much faster runner due to lighter needle protection. They are well adapted to arid  conditions, and in the UAE, prefer mountainous areas to live.

Scientific name:

Acridotheres tristis

Family: 

Sturnidae

Appearance:

An invasive species common to urban areas, this stocky bird has a brown body with black hooded head, white patches on its wingtips and a white-tipped black tail, bright yellow beak and legs, and a yellow patch behind its eyes.

Habits:

The range of the common myna is increasing at such a rapid rate that in 2000 the IUCN Species Survival Commission declared it one of the world's most invasive species and one of only three birds listed among the "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species" that pose a threat to biodiversity, agriculture and human interest. The sexes are similar and birds are usually seen in pairs.

Scientific name:

Ammomanes deserti

Family: 

Alaudidae

Appearance:

This bird has dull plumage with a broad dark band on its tail. Desert larks are a pale, sandy colour overall with a strong, yellowish-based bill and faint breast streaking. The upper parts of the many subspecies vary in colour; most are pale greyish-brown, but some are very washed out and others are quite a deep colour.

Habits:  

Generally seen in small groups or solitary in rocky desert habitats. Desert Larks are resident other than local movements. 

Scientific name

Acomys dimidiatus

Family: 

Muridae

Appearance:

A small rodent with  coarse fur and so=ft spines on the back. The coat colour is  variable,and may be greyish or reddish The tail appears bare, but has short bristles. The muzzle is pointed.

Habits:

Eastern spiny mice live in rocky habits in the mountains. They are strictly nocturnal.

Scientific name:

Felis catus

Family: 

Felidae

Appearance:

The fur pattern of feral cats varies from single-colour to patchy or striped. Colouring also varies and can include white, black, grey, brown and orange.

Habits:

Feral cats live outdoors and avoid human contact.  They also avoid being touched. They have agile bodies and are often larger in size than their domestic relatives. Feral cats tend to live in colonies and typically live where they can find food and shelter – such as an abandoned building near a restaurant dumpster.

Scientific name:

Equus asinus

Family: 

Equidae

Appearance:

Colour varies and can be white, grey, brown or black. Pattern also varies from solid colour to spotted, speckled or striped.

Habits:

All donkeys in the UAE are considered feral donkeys, descended from released domesticated animals. They pose a threat to native flora while grazing. Donkeys are strong and intelligent, and they have an incredible memory – they can recognise areas and other donkeys they were with from up to 25 years ago, and they can live for over 50 years. A donkey is stronger than a horse of the same size.

Scientific name:

Capra aegagrus hircus

Family: 

Bovidae

Appearance:

A domesticated animal that can be brown, grey, black or white in colour. Both males and females have beards and usually two backward-arching horns.

Habits:

Physically, both domestic and feral goats can be identified by their prominent straight horns (more prominent on male goats), rectangular pupils, and coarse hair. Feral goats are most common on rocky or hilly terrain. These areas provide security from predators and disturbance by humans. Goats are not normally found on flat, treeless plains, but can be found on flat terrain with dense shrub cover. Feral goats in the UAE are competitors for the Arabian tahr and are considered as one of the factors in the decline of the Arabian tahr population.

Scientific name:

Ortygornis pondicerianus

Family: 

Phasianidae

Appearance:

A ground-dwelling bird with a pale face and body, thin black border to the pale throat, brown wings, and a barred pattern throughout.

Habits:

The grey francolin is a medium-sized francolin with males averaging 29–34cm and females averaging 26–30cm. The males weigh up to 260–340g, the females 200–310g. The male can have up to two spurs on the legs while females usually lack them.

Scientific name:

Corvus splendens

Family: 

Corvidae

Appearance:

An invasive corvid with black head, upper breast, wings and tail, while their neck and breast is grey/brown.

Habits:

The house crow is primarily a scavenger, feeding on leftover rubbish from humans. They are found in a wide range of environments, mostly around human habitation.

Scientific name:

Oenanthe albonigra

Family: 

Muscicapidae

Appearance:

A small bird with a black head, back and wings, and a pure white breast and belly.

Habits:

Hume’s wheatear inhabits barren hills and rocky slopes, where it forages on the ground for invertebrates. The song is thrush-like with some sweet and buzzy notes. The sexes are alike.

Scientific name:

Streptopelia senegalensis

Family: 

Columbidae

Appearance:

A small pigeon with a pale brown back and reddish-brown chest that is checkered black. The underside is a pinkish brown with a lilac tinted head and neck, and black bill. The wings are brown with a blue-grey band, and it has a relatively long tail with purplish legs.

Habits:

The laughing dove is usually associated with human-modified landscapes such as plantations, gardens, and urban areas, as long as some trees are present.

Scientific name:

Emberiza striolata

Family: 

Emberizidae

Appearance:

This bird is chestnut in colour. Males have a grey head and females are brownish-grey. They have a dark streaking pattern.

Habits:

African subspecies are a richer chestnut and darker-headed than Asian birds. They breed in rocky scrub, often in or near villages and farms. They are territorial during breeding season, but often form flocks in the winter.

Scientific name:

Dipodillus dasyurus

Family: 

Muridae

Appearance:

A small rodent with soft, greyish or reddish coat and a long, black tufted tail. The underside is white. The muzzle is square.

Habits:

Wagner’s gerbils live in rocky habits in the mountains. They are strictly nocturnal.

Scientific name:

Pycnonotus leucotis

Family: 

Pycnonotidae

Appearance:

A common species in urban areas, the white-eared bulbul has a black head with large white cheeks, brownish-grey or grey to white body, yellow vent), and a dark tail with white tips.

Habits:

A lowland species inhabiting dry forests, scrub, forest edge, parks, and gardens, and can be quite common in cities and towns in parts of its range. Its song is brief, but pleasant and fluid. It gives a low, raspy “chuk” as well as mellower call notes similar to components of its song. This species is introduced into the UAE.