Hemiechinus auritus (Gmelin, 1770).

With a total length of about 18 cm, this is the smallest of the four species of hedgehogs found in Egypt. It has a slim build, long ears, and brownish spines tipped with white. Its face is pale brown and the soft fur on its belly is white. It is insectivorous or omnivorous, eating mainly insects together with small lizards, worms, and some vegetation. It is not a true desert animal but lives in gardens and olive groves and places where there is plenty of vegetation on the Mediterranean Coastal Desert. Despite its small size, this hedgehog can be very aggressive towards other Long-eared Hedgehogs and mostly lives alone. Its burrows are well made to protect it from the heat of the day during summer. To defend itself, it does not run away but rolls into a tight spiny ball that even the most persistent predator cannot open.

Jaculus jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758).

This delightful animal of about 11 cm in length is characterized by having long hind legs with three toes on each foot, and shorter forelegs with five toes on each forefoot. It is brown or cinnamon colored on the back with white underparts; the long tail has a prominent white-tipped black tuft. The hair on the palms and soles assist it to move easily on the soft sand of its habitat. The Lesser Jerboa lives on loose sand dunes and in sandy wadis and plains. It digs its burrows in the firm, barren sand and the nest chamber near the end of the burrow is furnished with plant material. It is strictly nocturnal and is very nervous; it lives solitarily and probably aestivates during the heat of summer, living on stored seeds. It eats seeds, dry desert grasses, and roots and has never been known to drink, subsisting on the moisture in its food.

Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758).

Egypt’s only remaining large cat, the Leopard, averages 119 cm head-and-body length and the tail is about 78 cm. The color is variably yellowish with spots and rosettes of brown or black on the back and tail; underparts are paler with fewer markings. The Leopard is an inhabitant of mountainous semi-desert, cliffs and wadis. It is said to eat almost anything and can carry animals that are up to twice its own weight. It eats ungulates, hyrax, rodents, reptiles, frogs, birds, and fish. It is a highly secretive nocturnal predator; a good climber and a strong swimmer. After a gestation period of 90-105 days, 1-6 cubs are born. In Egypt, its former range was Sinai and parts of the Western Desert where it is now probably extinct, and Gebel Elba area where a few individuals still hold on. It is known in several races from eastern Siberia to Morocco and southward to South Africa. The leopard is endangered throughout its range due to habitat loss and poaching for its fur.

Felis chaus Schreber, 1777.

A medium-sized cat with long legs; its head-and-body length averages 67 cm; the tail is 26 cm; it weighs 9 kg. The fur is generally sandy brown, reddish or grey with indistinct markings; a dark brown stripe runs from the corner of the eye to the nose. The short tail has several black rings at the end and a black tip; the ears have short black tufts. The Jungle Cat lives in wet grasslands, thickets of reed near slow-flowing water, and cultivated fields; it makes its den in thick vegetation. It is a carnivore, eating small mammals, ground-nesting birds, reptiles, frogs, and fish. It is active during both day and night. The gestation period is about 65 day and 1-6 kittens are born. In Egypt, this animal lives mainly in the Nile Valley and Delta, also west of Alexandria, and in Western Desert Oases. Its worldwide distribution is from Egypt eastward as far as China.

Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758.

This is a fairly large canine that averages 87 cm head-and-body length; the tail length is 32 cm and the shoulder height is 44 cm. The general color is sandy grey with a dorsal mane of coarse black-tipped hairs and a black tip to the tail. The Jackal lives in cultivated areas and oases, semi-barren desert, and steppes. It is generally nocturnal but is often seen in the late afternoon. This omnivorous animal eats fruit, fish, frogs, reptiles, birds, and mammals; it also eats carrion and evidently enjoys the desert snails found in the Mediterranean Coastal Desert. Breeding takes place between October and November and after the gestation period of 63 days, 1-9 young are born. The world distribution is from southeastern Europe through Asia Minor to Iran and eastward to Myanmar. It is widespread in Africa from Egypt to Morocco and south as far as Kenya. In Egypt, it inhabits the Nile Valley and Delta, parts of the Western Desert, and North Sinai.

Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758).

This slender animal is distinguished by having a thin naked tail of approximately 22 cm that is longer than its head-and-body length which is about 18 cm. The back is brownish or grey-brown; underparts are paler. The ears are fairly large and the palms and soles are hairless. The House Rat is largely nocturnal and is aggressive and difficult to handle. It is an agile climber and is common in dwellings, grain stores, and cultivated fields, as well as on canal banks. It eats a variety of grains and vegetables and occasionally other animals. The gestation period is just three weeks and 1-8 young are born; the female may give birth to four or five litters per year. It is an important pest because it attacks crops and stored grain; it can also carry serious diseases, such as bubonic plague, that have killed many millions of people throughout history.

Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758.

A small mouse that is gray or light or dark brown on the back with white or buffy underparts. It is about 8.4cm long and weighs just 15g with a bi-colored tail, brownish above and whitish below that is roughly half as long as its head and body. The house mouse is nocturnal and communal and can be commensal, living in houses and gardens; as well as in grain stores and fields. Its burrows are shallow, usually in walls or under shrubs or grass. It feeds on crops, stored agricultural products and food waste. In some areas it is a serious pest.

Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus, 1758.

This is a heavily built, almost hairless animal with short legs. It is 300-400 cm long, 130-165 cm high at the shoulder; weighs 3000-4500 kg. Its color is purplish grey-brown with pinkish patches on the face. The massive head has the eyes, small erect ears, and nostrils on the upper side allowing them to remain above water, while the rest of the animal is submerged. The Hippopotamus lives in rivers and lakes surrounded by grasslands and is herbivorous, eating mainly terrestrial grasses. It is nocturnal and spends much of the day sleeping underwater. The gestation period is eight months; a single calf is born and the parents can be aggressive and defend the calf vigorously. It is a widespread inhabitant of most river systems in Africa. In Egypt, it was a familiar animal during the Pharaonic period but has been extinct since the 1800s.

Jaculus orientalis Erxleben, 1777.

The Greater Egyptian Jerboa, at 15 cm is a larger and more robust animal than the Lesser Jerboa. It is brownish-orange on the back and whitish underneath with hair on the soles and naked palms. The ears are relatively long and broad, and the eyes are large and round; the long tail has a white-tipped black terminal tuft. The burrows, usually in hard ground, are up to two meters long and have a sleeping or nest chamber, lined with camel hair or shredded plant material, and a food storage chamber. This animal lives close to the grain fields, olive groves, and the salt marshes near the Mediterranean shores, and in South Sinai. Its food is principally sprouting vegetation, plant roots, and grain. It is nocturnal or crepuscular in habit.