Off-roading

Wildlife

Far from being devoid of wildlife, the UAE has some real treasures of the natural world that you may encounter on your expeditions. The below are some of the most well-known, if not always the most likely to be spotted.

Arabian leopard
(Panthera pardus nimr)
It is highly unlikely you’ll get to see this rare predator, as the last leopards resident in the UAE have apparently disappeared across the border into Oman, or have been hunted because they kill goats, but you may come across its droppings or even its prints on mountain hikes. A breeding programme at the Sharjah Desert Park has been successful, and is a good place to see this iconic animal. The Arabic name is actually the word for tiger. 
Arabic name: nimr

Arabian red fox
(Vulpes vulpes arabicus)
Smaller and more slender than its European cousin, the Arabian Red Fox varies in colour from pale sand to a darker russet and light brown. It is active both day and night and is the most commonly seen predator in all habitats (including city dumps) – a great ability to adapt to all circumstances has ensured its survival. Since rabies has entered the country in the last decade, be very wary of friendly foxes. Healthy foxes are shy and will not approach you. 
 
The other two species of fox in the UAE are much smaller (cat-sized) and entirely nocturnal in their activities. The Rueppell’s or Sand Fox lives in the great sand dunes, while the recently discovered Blanford’s Fox is especially well adapted to life on steep mountain slopes.
Arabic name: theeb
 
Arabian tahr
(Hemitragus jayakari)
This small half-goat lives on steep mountain cliffs, to which it clings as if its hooves were made of Velcro. It was thought to be extinct in the UAE, but was rediscovered in 1995 in a wildlife survey conducted by the Arabian Leopard Trust. Only a handful remain, often consorting with herds of feral goats. Unfortunately, this rare animal is still being hunted for its meat. 
Arabic name: wa’al al qurm sagheer

Brandt’s hedgehog
(Paraechinus hypomelas)
Of the three species of hedgehog that occur in the region, the all-black Brandt’s hedgehog is the most numerous. It’s found in all habitats, including the high mountains, and at one location in Wadi Bih, a local farmer feeds up to 200 hedgehogs every night. The other two species are the Ethiopian hedgehog, which has a white band around its face, and the long-eared hedgehog, whose ears are even larger than those of the other two species.
Arabic name: quoonfodh
 
Camel
(Camelus dromedarius)
Although there are two types of camel, only the dromedary (one-humped) camel is found in the UAE, as bactrians (two-humped) mostly live in the colder climates of China and Russia. Nowadays camels in the UAE are mainly bred for racing, although in other parts of the world they are raised for meat, milk and transport. All the camels you see wandering around here belong to someone (there are no feral camels left in the UAE), and are marked with their owner’s brand; many have numerous brand marks from changing hands several times. These camels are usually female, as the males are kept in pens to prevent random breeding and fighting with other males. The unconfined camels graze on grasses and scrubby bushes (but do not eat the desert squash), until the end of the day when they are rounded up and taken back to their breeding farm to be fed hay, maybe some alfalfa and water. 

Camels are generally very placid animals, although they may bite or kick if antagonised, especially males. They are fully grown after about four years, but may not reach puberty until they are 5 and they can live for as long as 30 or 40 years. The gestation period is a long 13 months and they only give birth to one calf, very rarely to twins. The calf is left with its mother for about a year before starting training for its racing career. If they show potential, they begin competing at around three years and will continue for as long as they keep doing well. Younger camels race over about 5km and build up to around 10km. While they are not as fast as horses, they have better endurance. Everyone prefers to race female camels as they are less temperamental and faster. The good ones have a numbered microchip placed just under their skin and their details, race wins and family history are recorded on computer. Successful racing camels are worth a lot of money – thousands of dollars can change hands for them, and the prizes for the big races are often luxury cars for the owner, trainer and jockey.

A trip to a camel racetrack can be one of the most memorable highlights of any visit to the UAE. There are tracks all over the country, but probably the best places to go to are the tracks at Dhaid and Digdagga off the road to Al Ain. Races take place during the winter months, usually on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with additional races on National Day and other public holidays. 
Arabic name: jamal
 
Cape hare 
(Lepus capensis)
The desert hare is still fairly common in all habitats but the high mountains, and it is important as a prey animal for many predators and raptors. Its activities are mostly nocturnal and during the hot hours of the day it’s generally found lying in a small hollow in the sand in the shade of a bush. It can give birth to litters of over 20 babies, which are scattered in various places (to increase their survival rate) and become independent in a matter of days. 
Arabic name: arnab
 
Caracal 
(Caracal caracal schmidti)
This large, russet-coloured wild cat is active at dusk and dawn and therefore it is possible to come across one on camping trips. It is not dangerous to man and lives mostly on small prey like birds and rodents. Because it occasionally takes young goats and chickens, it is regarded as vermin and unfortunately mercilessly hunted by local farmers.
Arabic name: al washaq, anaq al ardh
 
Cheesman’s gerbil
(Gerbillus cheesmani)
Many small rodents, like the ubiquitous Cheesman’s gerbil, are active at night, foraging for seeds and other vegetable matter, then spend the hot days in underground burrows. Most live in sandy areas where their prints can be found in the early morning before the wind wipes them away. Only Wagner’s gerbil and the Egyptian spiny mouse are known to live in the mountainous regions. 
 
Donkey
The very shy donkeys that are often encountered in the mountains are domestic animals that have become feral. Used in the past as a reliable means of travelling through rocky wadis and across mountain passes, their role has been usurped by the ubiquitous 4WD. While donkeys are a pleasing feature of the landscape, their increasing numbers are unfortunately doing great damage to the mountain vegetation.

Goat
Most goats are owned by farmers, although it is suspected that not everyone keeps track of their animals and many that roam the dunes and mountains are in fact feral. Goats need daily access to water and where they occur in large numbers both the vegetation and the rare water sources are under great pressure. More than any other factor, the unhampered roaming of goats has contributed to the near extinction of original wild species like gazelles and, in turn, their predators. 
 
Gordon’s wildcat 
(Felis sylvestris gordoni)
This forerunner of the domestic tabby cat is a very shy and fierce inhabitant of all areas, except the great sand dunes. It spends the days in burrows or ghaf trees and hunts at night, but its existence is threatened by loss of habitat and cross-breeding with domestic cats. However, a breeding programme initiated in the UAE by the Arabian Leopard Trust has placed pairs of these cats in more than a dozen European and American zoos, and should ensure its survival as a species.
The other smaller wildcat of the region is the sand cat, which is especially adapted to life in the deep soft sands. The soles of its feet are covered with wiry hair to prevent it from sinking into the sand or burning its paws.
Arabic name: gatt al barra
 
Mountain gazelle
(Gazella gazella cora)
This dainty ungulate inhabits the mountains, lower hills and dunes. Living in groups of up to six, it feeds at dusk and dawn and can live without access to water. The young are born in the cooler spring months, usually one per season. Since the hunting of gazelles has been banned, their numbers are on the rise. However, in the deep sands of Liwa the larger and paler ‘rheem’, or sand gazelle, has become very rare, most likely due to hunting in the past (it is now forbidden and there are game wardens who patrol the desert in the hopes of catching offenders).
Arabic name: idhmi or dhabi

Mouse-tailed bat
(Rhinopoma muscatellum)
The mouse-tailed bat spends its days in buildings and caves, then hunts around streetlights at night. It is only a few centimetres in length with a wingspan of about 15-20cm, and is easily recognised by the fact that its tail is free of the hind feet membrane. While most species of bats in the UAE are insectivores, there is also one fruit-eating bat, the Egyptian fruit bat. 
 
 

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