The wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the Gray wolf or Grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly understood, comprise wild...
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the cat family, Felidae. The leopard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic hunting behavior, broad diet, strength, and its...
The Honey badger (Mellivora capensis) is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Despite its name, the Honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species; instead, it bears more anatomical...
The Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa. The species is now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespread suiform. It has been assessed as the least concern on the IUCN Red...
The Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been...
The caracal (Caracal caracal) is a medium-sized wild cat. It was first scientifically described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. Typically nocturnal, the caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. It was...
One of the most abundant and widespread mammals around the globe, the House mouse (Mus musculus) is found in almost any part of the world (except Antarctica) due to human travel. This rodent originated in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern...
The markhor (Capra falconeri) is a large Capra species. It is the national animal of Pakistan, where it is also known as the screw horn or "screw-horned goat", mārkhor (مارخور) in Urdu from Classical Persian.
The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized wild cat. It is Europe’s third-largest predator after Brown bears and wolves and is the biggest of the species of lynx. The Eurasian lynx lives in forests and despite its wide distribution, it is...
The False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus Pseudorca. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly frequents tropical regions. The name "false killer whale" comes...
The Golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a wolf-like canid. Despite its name, the Golden jackal is not closely related to the African Black-backed jackal or Side-striped jackal, which are part of the genus Lupulella, being instead closer to wolves and...
Hyenas are the most common large carnivore in Africa. Hyenas are neither members of the dog nor the cat family. They are unique, and so have their own family: Hyaenidae, which has four members: Striped hyenas, the “laughing” Spotted hyenas, Brown...
The Sand cat (Felis margarita) is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. The first Sand cat known to science was discovered in the Algerian Sahara and described in 1858. In the early 1970s, these adorable...
The Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a critically endangered antelope that during antiquity inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe. During the Pleistocene, they also occurred in Beringian North America and the British Isles. It is extirpated...
The mouflon (Ovis gmelini) is a wild sheep native to the Caspian region. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domestic sheep breeds.
The European badger (Meles meles) is a mustelid native to almost all of Europe. It has a wide range and a large stable population size and is thought to be increasing in some regions. In Europe, where no other badger species commonly occurs, it is...
The Least weasel (Mustela nivalis) lives deep in the Northeast Asian deciduous forest. It hunts day and night, aided by its sharp nails and long slender body. It is the world’s smallest carnivore. According to Blackfoot legend, this species is the...
The Jungle cat (Felis chaus) is a medium-sized cat. Its name comes from the Caucasus Mountains, the place this cat was first discovered. In Asia, it is the Jungle cat, but in Africa, it is commonly named Reed cat or Swamp cat, due to its preference...
The onager (Equus hemionus) is a species of the family Equidae that is found in Asia. The onager was described and given its binomial name by German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1775. Unlike most horses and donkeys, onagers have never been...
The Edible dormouse (Glis glis) is a large dormouse and one of only two living species in the genus Glis, found in most of Europe and parts of western Asia. Its name comes from the Romans, who ate them as a delicacy.
The Persian leopard is a leopard subspecies native to Western and Central Asia. Since 2016, it has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the wild population is estimated at less than 1000 mature individuals.
The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. It is the most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of the weasel family (Mustelidae). It is found in the waterways and coasts of Europe, many parts...
The Kashmir stag (Cervus hanglu hanglu ), also called hangul, is a subspecies of Central Asian red deer endemic to Kashmir and surrounding areas. It is found in dense riverine forests in the high valleys and mountains of Jammu and Kashmir and...
The Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus or Ursus arctos arctos ) is a relatively small subspecies of brown bear native to the Middle East and the Caucasus mountain range.
The Wild goat (Capra aegagrus) is a nearly threatened goat species native to Asia. It is one of the ancestors of the domestic goat.
The Beech marten (Martes foina) is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is superficially similar to the European pine marten but differs from it by its...
The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) is the smallest known extant mammal by mass, weighing only about 1.8 g (0.063 oz) on average. It is characterized by very rapid movements and a fast metabolism, eating about 1.5-2 times its own body weight per...
The urial ( OOR-ee-əl; Ovis vignei ), also known as the arkars or shapo, is a wild sheep native to Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
The Corsac foxes (Vulpes corsac) are medium-sized foxes found in Asia. They live in open grassy steppes and semideserts and try to stay far away from human habitations. Fossils of Corsac foxes date back to the mid-Pleistocene and show they once...
The Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica ) is a hystricomorph rodent species native to southern Asia and the Middle East. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It belongs to the Old World porcupine family, Hystricidae.
The long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus ) is a species of hedgehog native to Central Asian countries and some countries of the Middle East. The long-eared hedgehog lives in burrows that it either makes or finds and is distinguished by its long...
The common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus ) is a small pipistrelle microbat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and may extend into Korea. It is one of the most common bat species in the British...
The Caspian seal (Pusa caspica or Phoca caspica ) is one of the smallest members of the earless seal family and unique in that it is found exclusively in the brackish Caspian Sea. They are found not only along the shorelines, but also on the many...
The marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna ) is a small mammal belonging to the monotypic genus Vormela within the mustelid subfamily Ictonychinae. Vormela is from the German word Würmlein, which means "little worm". The specific name peregusna comes...
Blanford's fox (Vulpes cana ) is a small fox native to the Middle East and Central Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The goitered or black-tailed gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa ) is a gazelle found in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, parts of Iraq and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and in northwest China and Mongolia....
The greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum ) is an insectivorous bat of the genus Rhinolophus. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe and is thus...
The steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii ), also known as the white or masked polecat, is a species of mustelid native to Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution,...
The Turkmenian kulan (Equus hemionus kulan) is a subspecies of onager (Asiatic wild ass) native to Central Asia. It is one of the largest subspecies of the onagers. The Turkmenian kulan was declared Endangered in 2016.
The Lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) is a small insectivorous bat found in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It is closely related to its larger cousin, the Greater horseshoe bat. As with all horseshoe bats, the species gets its name...
The greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus ) is a rare carnivorous bat found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. It is the largest and least studied bat in Europe with a wingspan of up to 46 centimetres (18 in) and is one of the few bat...
The great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus ) is a large rodent found throughout much of Central Asia.
