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:

Order: Hyracoidea (hyraxes)
The hyraxes are any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. About the size of a domestic cat they are well-furred, with rounded bodies and a stumpy tail. They are native to Africa and the Middle East.


 * Family: Procaviidae (hyraxes)
 * Genus: Procavia
 * Cape hyrax, P. capensis introduced on Sir Bani Yas

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)
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, D. dugon

Order: Rodentia (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 45 kg.


 * Suborder: Sciurognathi
 * Family: Dipodidae (jerboas)
 * Subfamily: Dipodinae
 * Genus: Jaculus
 * Lesser Egyptian jerboa, J. jaculus
 * Suborder: Myomorpha
 * Family: Muridae (mice, rats, voles, gerbils, hamsters)
 * Subfamily: Gerbillinae
 * Genus: Gerbillus
 * Wagner's gerbil, G. dasyurus
 * Balochistan gerbil, G. nanus

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)
Lagomorphs comprise rabbits, hares, and pikas. Unlike rodents; they have four incisors on their upper jaws.
 * Family: Leporidae (rabbits and hares)
 * Genus: Lepus
 * Cape hare, L. capensis

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 (hedgehogs)
 * Subfamily: Erinaceinae
 * Genus: Paraechinus
 * Desert hedgehog, P. 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: Pteropodidae (flying foxes, Old World fruit bats)
 * Subfamily: Pteropodinae
 * Genus: Rousettus
 * Egyptian fruit bat, R. aegyptiacus
 * Family: Vespertilionidae
 * Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Eptesicus
 * Botta's serotine, E. bottae
 * Genus: Otonycteris
 * Desert long-eared bat, O. hemprichii
 * Genus: Pipistrellus
 * Kuhl's pipistrelle, P. kuhlii
 * Genus: Rhyneptesicus
 * Sind bat, R. nasutus
 * Family: Emballonuridae
 * Genus: Taphozous
 * Naked-rumped tomb bat, T. nudiventris
 * Egyptian tomb bat, T. perforatus presence uncertain
 * Family: Rhinolophidae
 * Subfamily: Rhinolophinae
 * Genus: Rhinolophus
 * Blasius's horseshoe bat, R. blasii
 * Subfamily: Hipposiderinae
 * Genus: Asellia
 * Trident leaf-nosed bat, A. tridens
 * Genus: Triaenops
 * Persian trident bat, T. persicus

Order: Cetacea (whales)
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, M. novaeangliae
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Family Physeteridae (sperm whales)
 * Genus: Physeter
 * Sperm whale, Physeter catodon
 * Superfamily: Platanistoidea
 * Family: Phocoenidae
 * Genus: Neophocaena
 * Finless porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides DD
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Delphinus
 * Long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis
 * Genus: Sousa
 * Chinese white dolphin, Sousa chinensis DD (Gulf waters of Abu Dhabi holds world's largest population)
 * 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.
 * Family: Felidae (cats)
 * Subfamily: Felinae
 * Genus: Acinonyx
 * Cheetah, A. jubatus
 * Genus: Caracal
 * Caracal, C. caracal
 * Genus: Felis
 * African wildcat, F. lybica
 * Sand cat, F. margarita
 * Family: Herpestidae (mongooses)
 * Subfamily: Herpestinae
 * Genus: Urva
 * Indian grey mongoose, U. edwardsii
 * Genus: Ichneumia
 * White-tailed mongoose, I. albacauda
 * Family: Hyaenidae (hyaenas)
 * Genus: Hyaena
 * Striped hyena, H. hyaena
 * Family: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
 * Genus: Vulpes
 * Blanford's fox, V. cana
 * Rüppell's fox, V. rueppellii
 * Red fox, V. vulpes
 * Genus: Canis
 * Golden jackal, C. aureus
 * Gray wolf, C. lupus
 * Arabian wolf, C. l. arabs
 * Family: Mustelidae (mustelids)
 * Genus: Mellivora
 * Honey badger, M. capensis

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 (cattle, antelope, sheep, goats)
 * Subfamily: Antilopinae
 * Genus: Antilope
 * Blackbuck, A. cervicapra introduced on Sir Bani Yas
 * Genus: Gazella
 * Arabian gazelle, G. arabica
 * Arabian sand gazelle, G. marica
 * Subfamily: Caprinae
 * Genus: Ammotragus
 * Barbary sheep, A. lervia introduced on Sir Bani Yas
 * Genus: Arabitragus
 * Arabian tahr, A. jayakari
 * Subfamily: Hippotraginae
 * Genus: Oryx
 * Arabian oryx, O. leucoryx reintroduced
 * Gemsbok, O. gazella introduced on Sir Bani Yas
 * Scimitar oryx, O. gazella introduced on Sir Bani Yas
 * Genus: Taurotragus
 * Common eland, T. oryx introduced on Sir Bani Yas
 * Family: Cervidae (deer)
 * Subfamily: Cervinae
 * Genus: Axis
 * Chital, A. axis introduced on Sir Bani Yas
 * Genus: Cervus
 * Red deer, C. elaphus introduced on Sir Bani Yas
 * Family: Giraffidae
 * Genus: Giraffa
 * Reticulated giraffe, G. reticulata introduced on Sir Bani Yas

Locally extinct

 * Leopard, Panthera pardus