List of mammals of Kuwait
This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Kuwait. There are twenty-five mammal species in Kuwait, of which one is endangered, four are vulnerable, and one is near threatened. One of the species listed for Kuwait can no longer be found in the wild.
The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:
EX | Extinct | No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. |
EW | Extinct in the wild | Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range. |
CR | Critically endangered | The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild. |
EN | Endangered | The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. |
VU | Vulnerable | The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. |
NT | Near threatened | The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future. |
LC | Least concern | There are no current identifiable risks to the species. |
DD | Data deficient | There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species. |
Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria. Species assessed using this system have the following instead of near threatened and least concern categories:
LR/cd | Lower risk/conservation dependent | Species which were the focus of conservation programmes and may have moved into a higher risk category if that programme was discontinued. |
LR/nt | Lower risk/near threatened | Species which are close to being classified as vulnerable but are not the subject of conservation programmes. |
LR/lc | Lower risk/least concern | Species for which there are no identifiable risks. |
Subclass: [Theria]
Infraclass: [Eutheria]
Order: [Sirenia] (manatees and dugongs)
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Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered.
- Family: Dugongidae
- **Genus: Dugong
- *** Dugong, Dugong dugon VU
Order: [Rodent]ia (rodents)
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40% of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to.
- Suborder: Myomorpha
- *Family: Dipodidae
- **Subfamily: Allactaginae
- ***Genus: Allactaga
- **** Euphrates jerboa, Allactaga euphratica LR/nt
- *Family: Muridae
- **Subfamily: Gerbillinae
- ***Genus: Gerbillus
- **** Cheesman's gerbil, Gerbillus cheesmani LR/lc
- **** Wagner's gerbil, Gerbillus dasyurus LR/lc
- ***Genus: Meriones
- **** Sundevall's jird, Meriones crassus LC
- ***Genus: Tatera
- **** Indian gerbil, Tatera indica LR/lc
Order: [Erinaceomorpha] (hedgehogs and gymnures)
The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines while gymnures look more like large rats.
- Family: Erinaceidae
- *Subfamily: Erinaceinae
- **Genus: Hemiechinus
- *** Desert hedgehog, Hemiechinus aethiopicus LR/lc
Order: [Chiroptera] (bats)
The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.
- Family: Vespertilionidae
- *Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
- **Genus: Pipistrellus
- *** Kuhl's pipistrelle, Pipistrellus kuhlii LC
- Family: Rhinopomatidae
- *Genus: Rhinopoma
- ** Lesser mouse-tailed bat, Rhinopoma hardwickei LC
Order: [Cetacea] (whales)
The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.
- Suborder: Mysticeti
- *Family: Balaenopteridae
- **Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
- ***Genus: Balaenoptera
- **** Omura's whale, Baleanoptera omurai DD
- **** Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera edeni DD
- **** Pygmy blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda EN
- **Subfamily: Megapterinae
- ***Genus: Megaptera
- **** Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae CR
- Suborder: Odontoceti
- *Superfamily: Platanistoidea
- **Family: Phocoenidae
- ***Genus: Neophocaena
- **** Finless porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides DD
- **Family: Delphinidae
- ***Genus: Sousa
- **** Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin, Sousa chinensis DD
- ***Genus: Grampus
- **** Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus DD
Order: [Carnivora] (carnivorans)
There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.
- Suborder: Feliformia
- *Family: Felidae
- **Subfamily: Felinae
- ***Genus: Caracal
- **** Caracal, Caracal caracal LC
- ***Genus: Felis
- **** African wildcat, Felis lybica LC
- **** Sand cat, Felis margarita LC
- **Subfamily: Pantherinae
- ***Genus: Panthera
- **** Arabian leopard, Panthera pardus nimr CR - regionally extinct
- *Family: Herpestidae
- **Genus: Herpestes
- *** Indian gray mongoose, Herpestes edwardsii LR/lc
- *Family: Hyaenidae
- **Genus: Hyaena
- *** Striped hyena, Hyaena hyaena LR/nt
- Suborder: Caniformia
- *Family: Canidae
- **Genus: Canis
- *** Golden jackal, Canis aureus LC
- **Genus: Vulpes
- ***Fennec fox, Vulpes zerda LC
- *Family: Mustelidae
- **Genus: Mellivora
- *** Ratel, Mellivora capensis LR/lc
Order: [Artiodactyla] (even-toed ungulates)
The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.
- Family: Bovidae
- *Subfamily: Antilopinae
- **Genus: Gazella
- *** Saudi gazelle, Gazella saudiya EW
- *** Goitered gazelle, Gazella subgutturosa VU
- *Subfamily: Hippotraginae
- **Genus: Oryx
- *** Arabian oryx, Oryx leucoryx EN
- Family: Camelidae
- *Genus: Camelus
- ** Dromedary, Camelus dromedarius LC