Striped Hyaena

Hyaena hyaena (Linnaeus, 1758).

A large animal about 103-109 cm head-and-body length; the short tail is 30 cm. The overall color is greyish-brown with broken transverse black stripes on the back and a marked black spinal crest. It is noticeably higher at the shoulder than at the rump and the head is massive. The hyaena inhabits desert areas bordering the Nile Valley, entering cultivated areas at night to feed and drink; it also dwells in remote areas with its den in rocky hills and crevices. It is a generally solitary, nocturnal scavenger; its food consists largely of carrion as well as gazelles, rodents, birds, and vegetable matter; it probably follows the camel caravans in anticipation of dead camels. Its powerful jaws and teeth allow it to crack the largest bones to get to the marrow within. One to six cubs are born after a gestation period of 88-92 days. In Egypt, the hyaena is widespread, especially in the Nile Valley. Worldwide, it ranges from India and Transcaucasia through the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa.


Spinner Dolphin

Stenella longirostris (Gray, 1828).

A relatively small marine mammal; this dolphin is 180-210 cm long and weighs 45-75 kg. This very variable animal is generally slender with a long, thin beak; the dorsal fin is curved; the flippers are large and pointed. The color is dark grey to black above, light grey to tan on the sides; the underparts are pale; a dark stripe runs from the flipper to the eye. The Spinner Dolphin inhabits both inshore waters and deeper waters out at sea. It is a nocturnal feeder; its food consists of squid and fish and it sometimes feeds at 25 m deep or more. It is easily recognized by the acrobatic spinning jumps that give it its name. The female matures at about 165-170 cm long, the gestation period is 10½ months and a single calf is born every two to three years. These social mammals may be seen in groups of up to 1000 individuals. They are found in the Egyptian waters of the Red Sea and are distributed in all warm tropical waters of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. They are severely threatened by the modern fishing methods and often get caught in the fishing nets and drowned.

Scimitar-horned Oryx

Oryx dammah (Cretzschmar, 1826).

The most noticeable feature of the Scimitar-horned Oryx is the long, slender horns that curve up and over the back on both males and females. It is believed that this animal gave rise to the legend of the unicorn. This large antelope which is about 205 cm length has a white coat with russet or brown patches on the nose and forehead and a stripe through the eye from the base of the ear and horn; the neck and chest are brown as is the long tail tuft. Its habitat is the grassy steppe, semi-deserts, and deserts where it eats grasses, herbs, roots, fruit, leaves, and vegetation. It is a desert-adapted animal that is capable of surviving without water for long periods. A single calf is born after a gestation period of about eight months. It is endangered throughout its range from Sudan to Senegal and has become extinct in Egypt during the last 100 years.


Sand Cat

Felis margarita Loche, 1858.

The Sand Cat is a small animal of an average 46 cm head-and-body length; the tail is 23 cm. The long silky fur is pale grizzled buff; paler on the underparts and the short legs and tail are banded; the soles and palms are completely covered with long curly hair, which protects them from the heat of the sand and enables the cat to move fast on the loose surface. The broad ears are set low on the head, making it look flat; the eyes are large and set forward on the face. The Sand Cat is totally adapted to its sandy desert habitat, often spending long periods without drinking water. This nocturnal carnivore eats reptiles, rodents, and birds. The low-set ears enable it to stalk its prey in areas with a little cover by presenting a low profile. Between two and five kittens are born after a gestation period of 60-90 days. The life span is up to 13 years. This rare and seldom seen cat has been reported from Sinai and sandy areas of the Eastern Desert. Its global distribution is across North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and east to southern Turkestan.

 

Rüppell Sand Fox

Vulpes rueppellii (Schinz, 1825).

A small fox with a head-and-body length about 40-52 cm; the tail length is 25-39 cm; height at the shoulder is 30 cm. It is slender with large ears; the back is grizzled reddish, sides are buffy grey and underparts are pale. The bushy tail is tipped white. Rüppell’s Sand Fox is the most ubiquitous Egyptian fox and is found in the sandy or stony desert, often far from vegetation, as well as in vegetated areas and oases of the Western Desert. This fox eats rodents, lizards, small birds, insects, dates, and even carrion. It is said to be able to climb the date palms to get the fruit. Monogamous pairs usually share a den; the female always shares the den with her two or three young. Its range extends across North Africa and the Middle East as far as Iran and Afghanistan. In Egypt, it is found throughout the Eastern and Western Deserts and South Sinai.

Slender-horned Gazelle

Gazella leptoceros (F. Cuvier, 1842).

This is the palest gazelle; pale yellowish on the back and the undersides are white with indistinct markings. It is from 100-110 cm long; height at the shoulder is from 65-72 cm. The horns are long and slender in the males, smaller and slimmer in the females. The hooves are slightly spread to ease the movement on soft sand. The Slender-horned Gazelle lives almost entirely in sandy desert areas and feeds on desert plants including spiny shrubs, leaves, and grasses; it rarely has access to water. It is active during cooler parts of the day and possibly at night. The gestation period is 156-169 days; normally a single calf is born. In the past, its main predators were Cheetahs and Jackals but today its worst enemy is the man, and it is an endangered species due to the excessive hunting.

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758).

This large fox is of 55-58 cm head-and-body length with a tail about 34-36 cm. Although the color of this fox is extremely variable, its back is generally reddish-brown with grizzling due to the black-tipped guard hairs; underparts are blackish; the ears are black behind and the bushy tail is tipped with white. The Red Fox inhabits barren and semi-barren desert and vegetated wadis, farmlands, oases, and urban gardens. It is essentially an omnivore and eats small mammals, birds, insects, and fruit. It is generally nocturnal but is often seen in daytime. The dens are sometimes fairly large with several openings, sometimes a simple earth under a rock. The gestation period is 49-55 days and usually 2-5 young are born. This variable animal is found throughout Europe, parts of North America, and parts of Asia as well as across North Africa; it is widespread in the Middle East. In Egypt, it lives mainly in the Nile Valley and Delta.


Nubian Ibex

Capra nubiana F. Cuvier, 1825.

The Nubian Ibex is a large relative of the domestic goat; its head-and-body length is 105-125 cm long and 65-75 cm high at the shoulder. The upper parts are brownish with a dark crest along the spine. The nose is black, and there are black markings on the legs. The male has a black beard, and powerful ridged and backswept horns. The female is beardless with smaller and smoother horns. The Nubian Ibex is remarkable for its agility; it lives in rocky wadis, cliffs, and mountains where it can climb very rapidly. It eats acacia leaves, woody shrubs, and roots and must drink every day; sometimes it travels long distances to find water. Mating is during late summer when the males become aggressive towards other males. After a gestation period of five months, one or two young are born. Its predators were formerly Leopards, but nowadays they are vulnerable to hunters when they come down from the mountains to drink and are now endangered.


Long-eared Hedgehog

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.


Lesser Jerboa

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.