The Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. It is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The Blue whale was once abundant in nearly all the Earth's oceans until the end of the 19th century. It was hunted...
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 Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of Brown bears are called Grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is known as the...
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 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 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 Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a small species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. In the English language, this deer was originally simply called a 'roe', but over time the word 'roe' has become a...
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 Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of cetacean on Earth after the Blue whale. American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale "the greyhound...
The European hare (Lepus europaeus) is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Generally nocturnal and shy in nature, hares change their behavior in 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 Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) is amongst the largest desert mammals of the Arab region and throughout history has been an important aspect of its heritage. Once extinct in the wild, it once again inhabits the dry Arabian Peninsula. This species...
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 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...
European water voles > (Arvicola amphibius) are semiaquatic rodents. They are often informally called water rats, though they only superficially resemble a true rat. Their dark color allows them to blend in well in the densely vegetated areas and...
The Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs ) is a subspecies of gray wolf native to the Arabian Peninsula, the Negev Desert, the Sinai Peninsula, and Jordan. It is the smallest wolf subspecies, and a desert-adapted subspecies that normally lives in small...
Cattle (Bos taurus ) are large domesticated bovines. They are most widespread species of the genus Bos. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult males are referred to as bulls.Cattle are commonly raised as livestock for meat (beef or veal,...
The Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) is an aquatic marine mammal found throughout most of the Indian Ocean, as well as the tropical and subtropical Pacific from Indonesia north to the Taiwan Strait. Finless porpoises are the...
The Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) is an otter species found in most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. As its name indicates, its fur is smooth and shorter than that of other otter species.
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 Syrian elephant or Western Asiatic elephant (Elephas maximus asurus ) was the westernmost population of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus ), which became extinct in ancient times. Skeletal remains of E. m. asurus have been recorded from the...
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...
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 Cape hare (Lepus capensis ), also called the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India.
The desert hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus ) is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae.
The Armenian mouflon (Ovis gmelini gmelini) is an endangered subspecies of mouflon. It was first described in 1840 by Edward Blyth, who equated it with the "Orientalische Schaaf" (Oriental sheep) described by Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin in 1774.
The Common noctule (Nyctalus noctula) is an insectivorous bat that is widespread throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa. These bats hibernate in large groups and females migrate during early pregnancy to return to their natal maternity colonies...
Bryde's whale ( BRUU-dəz Brooder's), or the Bryde's whale complex, putatively comprises three species of rorqual and maybe four. The "complex" means the number and classification remains unclear because of a lack of definitive information and...
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 northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii ) is the most abundant species of bat in northern Eurasia. It is found from England to Hokkaidō and south to northern India. It is closely related to the serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus ).
