Wildlife of Yemen

Yemen is a large country in the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula with several geographic regions, each with a diversity of plants and animals adapted to their own particular habitats.

The western highlands run parallel with the Red Sea coast and to the east of them, the land slopes gently towards the Persian Gulf.

For over two thousand years the steep slopes of these mountains have been terraced and intensively cropped, and little of the indigenous vegetation remains.

[2] Both this range and the western highlands feature many wadis, dry watercourses which have been carved out by floods when the occasional torrential downpour occurs.

[4] On the Red Sea coast there are extensive stands of white mangrove over a coastal stretch of about 84 km (52 mi), with sporadic clumps elsewhere.

There are no trees here, Typical xeric plants include the dwarf shrubs Calligonum crinitum and saltbush, and several species of sedge.

[8] The cliff faces of the western highlands provide habitat for the griffon vulture, the Verreaux's eagle, and the small Barbary falcon.

[3] The hamadryas baboon is present in parts of the country,[3] and there are believed to be about seventy wild Arabian leopards remaining here.

[9] Other mammals found in Yemen include the mountain gazelle, gray wolf, Blanford's fox, Rüppell's fox, caracal, sand cat, wildcat, common genet, striped hyena, golden jackal, honey badger, bushy-tailed mongoose, rock hyrax, desert hedgehog, Arabian shrew, golden spiny mouse, lesser Egyptian jerboa, several species of gerbils, king jird, Yemeni mouse and a number of species of bat.