List of wild animals of Egypt

Last updated January 15, 2026

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This is a list of the wild animal species that were reported in Egypt.

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Aardvark Aardvark (Orycteropus afer).jpg — Aardvark

Order: Tubulidentata (aardvarks)

Family: Orycteropodidae
- Genus: Orycteropus
  - Aardvark

Rock hyrax Rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) 2.jpg — Rock hyrax

Order: Hyracoidea (hyraxes)

Family: Procaviidae (hyraxes)
- Genus: Procavia
  - Rock hyrax

Dugong Dugong.JPG — Dugong

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

Family: Dugongidae
- Genus: Dugong
  - Dugong (dugong dugon)

Asian garden dormouse EliomysMelanurusSmit.jpg — Asian garden dormouse

Four-toed jerboa Four-toes-jerboa.jpg — Four-toed jerboa

Lesser Egyptian jerboa Jaculus jaculus.jpg — Lesser Egyptian jerboa

Greater Egyptian jerboa Jaculus orientalis Plzen zoo 02.2011.jpg — Greater Egyptian jerboa

Middle East blind mole-rat Palestine Mole-rat 1.jpg — Middle East blind mole-rat

Cairo spiny mouse Common spiny mouse.JPG — Cairo spiny mouse

Golden spiny mouse Golden Spiny Mouse (Acomys russatus).JPG — Golden spiny mouse

North African gerbil Dipodillus campestris - North African Gerbil.jpg — North African gerbil

Lesser Egyptian gerbil Cambridge Natural History Mammalia Fig 236.jpg — Lesser Egyptian gerbil

Pale gerbil Perpallidus.jpg — Pale gerbil

Greater Egyptian gerbil Gerbillus pyramidum Cuvier.jpg — Greater Egyptian gerbil

Lesser short-tailed gerbil Gerbillus simoni.jpg — Lesser short-tailed gerbil

Sundevall's jird Meriones crassus.jpg — Sundevall's jird

Libyan jird Libyan Jird.jpg — Libyan jird

Shaw's jird MerionesShawiSmit.jpg — Shaw's jird

Fat-tailed gerbil Pachyuromys-duprasi PeterMaas.jpg — Fat-tailed gerbil

Fat sand rat Fat sand rat.jpg — Fat sand rat

Bushy-tailed jird Sekeetamys calurus.JPG — Bushy-tailed jird

African grass rat Arvicanthis niloticus.jpg — African grass rat

Short-tailed bandicoot rat NesokiaHuttoni.jpg — Short-tailed bandicoot rat

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

Family: Gliridae (dormice)
- Genus: Eliomys
  - Asian garden dormouse Eliomys melanurus
Family: Dipodidae (jerboas)
- Genus: Allactaga
  - Four-toed jerboa (Allactaga tetradactyla)^[1]
- Genus: Jaculus
  - Lesser Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) ^[1]
  - Greater Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus orientalis) ^[1]
Family: Spalacidae
- Genus: Nannospalax
  - Middle East blind mole-rat Nannospalax ehrenbergi^[2]
Family: Muridae (mice, rats, voles, gerbils, hamsters etc.)
- Genus: Acomys
  - Cairo spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) ^[3]
  - Golden spiny mouse (Acomys russatus)
- Genus: Dipodillus
  - North African gerbil Dipodillus campestris
  - Mackilligin's gerbil (Dipodillus mackilligini)
- Genus: Gerbillus
  - Pleasant gerbil Gerbillus amoenus^[4]
  - Anderson's gerbil Gerbillus andersoni^[4]
  - Flower's gerbil Gerbillus floweri
  - Lesser Egyptian gerbil Gerbillus gerbillus
  - Pygmy gerbil Gerbillus henleyi
  - Pale gerbil Gerbillus perpallidus
  - Greater Egyptian gerbil Gerbillus pyramidum
  - Lesser short-tailed gerbil Gerbillus simoni
- Genus: Meriones
  - Sundevall's jird Meriones crassus
  - Libyan jird Meriones lybicus
  - Shaw's jird Meriones shawi
- Genus: Pachyuromys
  - Fat-tailed gerbil (pachyuromys duprasi)
- Genus: Psammomys
  - Fat sand rat (psammomys obesus)
- Genus: Sekeetamys
  - Bushy-tailed jird (sekeetamys calurus)
- Genus: Arvicanthis
  - African grass rat (arvicanthis niloticus)
- Genus: Nesokia
  - Short-tailed bandicoot rat (nesokia indica)

Cape hare Cape Hare, near Prince Albert, Western Cape, South Africa - panoramio.jpg — Cape hare

Order: Lagomporpha (lagomorphs)

Family: Leporidae (rabbits, hares)
- Genus: Lepus
  - Cape hare (lepus capensis)

Long-eared hedgehog Hemiechinus auritus; Baikonur 09.jpg — Long-eared hedgehog

Desert hedgehog Desert Hedgehog.png — Desert hedgehog

Order: Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures)

Family: Erinaceidae (hedgehogs)
- Genus: Hemiechinus
  - Long-eared hedgehog Hemiechinus auritus
- Genus: Paraechinus
  - Desert hedgehog Paraechinus aethiopicus

African giant shrew The Congo Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History (1919) (20680539435).jpg — African giant shrew

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles and solenodons)

References

1 2 3 Shahin, Adel A. Basyouny; Ata, Abdel Twab M. (2001). "A comparative study on the karyotype and meiosis of the jerboasAllactagaandJaculus(Rodentia: Dipodidae) in Egypt". Zoology in the Middle East. 22 (1). Informa UK Limited: 5–16. doi:10.1080/09397140.2001.10637844. ISSN 0939-7140.
↑ Shahin, Adel A. Basyouny; Mohamed, Amira M. Metwally; El Shatter, Abd El-Reheem A. (2018). "Genetic Differentiation and Relationship between Two Karyotype Forms of Nannospalax ehrenbergi (Rodentia: Spalacidae) in Egypt". Pakistan Journal of Zoology. 50 (5). ResearchersLinks Ltd. doi: 10.17582/journal.pjz/2018.50.5.1671.1680 . ISSN 0030-9923.
↑ Younes, Mahmoud (3 January 2024). "The Nile Delta and Valley as An Ecological Barrier for Desert Mammals: With Special Reference To The Cairo Spiny Mouse, Acomys cahirinus". Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. B, Zoology. 16 (1): 1–17. doi: 10.21608/EAJBSZ.2024.333659 .
1 2 Younes, Mahmoud; Khalifa, Mahmoud; Ghazy, Ahmed (2016-06-01). "Morphometric Analysis of Gerbillus Andersoni, G. Campestris and G. Amoenus from Egypt". Al-Azhar Bulletin of Science. 27 (1). Al-Azhar University: 9–16. doi: 10.21608/absb.2016.24338 . ISSN 1110-2535.

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