Different Species in Uae Vittorio

7/28/2019 Different Species in Uae Vittorio

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Different speciesof animals

found in UAE.

Author Vittorio Chiarini

Class 6/2 C.I.S.

Subj. World Study


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In the UAE there are 7 differentspecies of animals:

Arabian Oryx

Sand Gazelle

Arabian Mountain Gazelle

Arabian Tahr

Arabian Leopard

Hare

Spiny-tailed lizard


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Arabian Oryx

The Arabian oryx(Oryx leucoryx), which once roamed

the entire Arabian Peninsula, became extinct as a wildspecies in the early 1960s. Its precise natural rangewithin the UAE is not clear but they were probablyfound in and around the Liwa, as well as on themountain plains. The largest of the Arabian antelopes,oryx are creatures of the open desert being ablesurvive in areas without trees or standing water.Instead they rely on moisture obtained from food andcan conserve water through specially adapted

kidneys. The white body colour helps to deflectsunlight. However the skin underneath is dark andacts as a barrier against ultra-violet rays. Both maleand female carry a pair of symmetrical horns, veryslightly curved to the back. As the horns of a healthyanimal are so symmetrical that they appear as one ifseen in profile, it is assumed that the oryx was theorigin of the legendary unicorn. The horns can grow toa length of 90 cms, and their sharp points are deadly

weapons amongst bulls fighting for dominant positionin a herd. Oryx can calf all year round, with peaks inspring and autumn. The cow has only one young at atime. When born, it is sandy-brown in colour, whichblends in superbly with its natural habitat. During thefirst days of its life, the oryx calf lies in a shallowscrape, relying on its camouflage to avoid predators,and only when it is able to keep up with the herd willit follow the mother throughout the day.


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Sand Gazelle

Sand gazelle (Gazella subgutturosamarica), with a maximum weight 22 kg, isthe second largest of the antelopes thatoccur in the UAE. Virtually extinct in thewild, there are occasional reports from theLiwa of small groups of these beautifulcreatures. The elegantly curved horns ofboth males and females are considerably

longer than those of other gazellesoccurring in the area. The animals arevery light in colour, the head completelywhite in older animals, with back andflanks being light beige, an obviousadvantage in the open sands, which theyfavour. The belly is white and the darkstripe between the white underside andthe beige flanks and back of the gazelle, a

distinguishing feature of the mountaingazelle, is absent. Black eyes, nostril andmouth contrast with the pale body. Thesand gazelle is the only antelope in thisarea that regularly gives birth to twinsand this usually in spring and autumn.The young spend their first days inshallow scrapes, or under a small bush,until they are strong enough to move with

the adults.
http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam02.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam02.asp


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Arabian Mountain Gazelle

The Arabian mountain gazelle (Gazella gazellacora

) is found on the gravel plains, the sanddeserts and in the mountains, its natural rangeextending right across the Emirates, except forthe very soft sandy areas of the Liwa into whichonly the sand gazelle would venture. Themountain gazelle, weighing only 10 to 14 kg, hasa delicate body, and can reach speeds of 65 kmper hour if it needs to escape danger. Themountain gazelle has a pure white belly with adark to black stripe on its flanks that merges intodark beige or brown on the back, the neck andthe head. Facial markings consist of variousshades of brown with two white stripes extendingfrom the eyes towards the nostrils. Females cangive birth to a single fawn at any time of theyear, but with natural peaks in spring andautumn. Most grazing activity takes place atdawn and dusk. Mountain gazelle rest during thehottest hours of the day under any shelteravailable, which may be a cave for those thatinhabit the mountains. Usually moving in smallgroups of four to six animals, they are highlyterritorial, with the dominant male continuouslymarking its territory with a wax-like substancewhich it produces in glands below the eyes anddeposits by rubbing its head against a bush, abranch or a stone. As with oryx and sand gazellethey do not need to drink water, but will readilydo so if it is available.
http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam03.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam02.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam02.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam02.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam03.asp


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Arabian Tahr

In contrast to the mountain gazelle theArabian tahr (Hemitragus jayakari) needsto drink water every day. An agile climber,this animal is found only in the mountains,where it dwells on steep cliffs, feeding onsparse grass and shrubs growing amongstthe rocks. Tahr descend regularly into thewadis to find a pool from which to drink.

The secretive tahr were thought to beextinct, however in 1995 a female tahr,together with her kid, was photographedwhen both animals descended to drink atone of the water pools. Tahr have longreddish-brown hair, with a dark stripedown their back and short, goat-like,stubby horns. Older males sport a beard,

which is absent in the younger animals.Calves are grey in colour at birth,changing to greyish-brown around thesame time when the horns start to grow.No doubt the Arabian leopard was thetahr's natural enemy, but today it is thedestruction of their natural habitat by feralgoats, as well as poaching, that keep their

numbers dangerously low.
http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam04.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam11.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam11.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam04.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam04.asp


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Arabian Leopard

Unfortunately the Arabian leopard (Pantherapardus nimr) is also on the brink of extinctionin the wild. At about 30 kg for the male andaround 20 kg for the female, the Arabianleopard is much smaller than most of theAfrican and Asian races. Very light in colour,the deep golden yellow between black

rosettes is only present on the animal's back,whilst the rest of the body is beige togreyish-white. Leopards are not animals ofthe open desert and only occur in themountains, where permanent water sourcesexist. In this arid terrain they require largeterritories in order to find enough food, whichmeans that even at the best of times there

have never been many leopards in this area.As they are solitary animals, the territory isfiercely defended against intruders. Whilstthe area of a male might overlap with theterritories of several females, no other animalof the same sex is allowed near what theleopard considers to be the core of its range.
http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam11.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam11.asp


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Hare

Absent from the mountains but otherwisewidespread in the United Arab Emirates is thehare (Lepus capensis). Adapted to the harshenvironment, the local hare is much smallerthan its European counterpart and is thereforeoften mistaken for a rabbit, which does notoccur in Arabia. Unlike the rabbit, the haredoes not live in burrows, but spends the day

motionless, with its ears folded back, relyingtotally on its camouflage, remaining in shallowscrapes under a bush or even in the open. Theyoung hares, or leverets, are born fully furredwith their eyes open and are able to survivewithout their mother from the seventh to thetenth day of their lives. The baby hares are leftby the mother in separate locations, where shevisits them a couple of times a night to let

them suckle. The advantage ofthis system isthat if one young is found by a fox or anotherpredator only that individual will be killed andnot the whole litter. Should the mother vanish,then the babies, as mentioned earlier, are ableto fend for themselves from a very early age.As with the other mammals that have adaptedto the desert life, the hare does not need todrink water, obtaining enough moisture fromthe grasses and shrubs it eats.
http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam05.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam05.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam08.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam08.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam08.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam05.asp


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Spiny-tailed lizard

(Uromastix microlepis) The spiny-tailedlizard or dhub can grow to a length of 65 cmand usually lives in loose colonies, eachburrow being approximately 20 to 50 metresdistance from its neighbour. Colonies canextend over large areas, depending on theavailability of food. Feeding on shrubs, thespiny-tailed lizard never drinks water andhas special glands that help its body todispose of uric acid. The spiny-tailed lizardoften allows other creatures, such as snakes,scorpions and hedgehogs to share itsburrow. Despite its dragon-like appearance it

is a very placid animal that prefers to fleerather than enter into conflict. If cornered,however, it can inflict a painful blow with itsspiny tail or alternatively a nasty bite fromstrong jaws with sharp bony plates. Thedhub used to be a welcome source of proteinfor the Bedouin and its tough skin waswidely used.
http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/reptile/liz01.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/reptile/liz01.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/reptile/liz01.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/reptile/liz01.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/reptile/liz01.asphttp://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/reptile/liz01.asp

Different Species in Uae Vittorio

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