Animals of Egypt

Written by Fenhas Robin, Zoologist

Egypt, a country linking northeast Africa with the Middle East, dates to the time of the pharaohs. Millennia-old monuments sit along the fertile Nile River Valley, including Giza’s colossal Pyramids and Great Sphinx as well as Luxor’s hieroglyph-lined Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings tombs. The capital, Cairo, is home to Ottoman landmarks like Muhammad Ali Mosque and the Egyptian Museum, a trove of antiquities.

In this article we will have a closer look at 5 common animals of Egypt:

1. Nile Crocodile
2. Egyptian Cobra
3. Stepped eagle(National Bird)
4. Saharan striped polecat
5. Dorcas gazelle

#1 Nile Crocodile

The Nile crocodile is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. 

• Mass: Male: 220 – 750 kg (Adult), Female: 40 – 250 kg (Adult).
• Length: Male: 4.2 m (Southern Africa population, Adult), Female: 2.4 – 3.8 m (Adult)
• Habitats: They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Basin, and Madagascar in rivers, freshwater marshes, and mangrove swamps.
• Diet: The diet of the Nile crocodile is mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything unfortunate enough to cross its path, including zebras, small hippos, porcupines, birds, and other crocodiles. It will also scavenge carrion, and can eat up to half its body weight at a feeding.
• Clutch size: 25-80

#2: Egyptian Cobra

The Egyptian cobra is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae, classified within the subgenera Uraeus. The Egyptian cobra prefers dry to moist savanna and semi-desert.

• Venom: Neurotoxic(Affects nervious system) and cytotoxic.
• Venom Yeild: 175 mg to 300 mg in a single bite.
• Diet::
• Egyptian cobras are carnivorous reptiles. They prefer to eat toads, but will also prey on small mammals, birds, eggs, lizards and other snakes.
• Length:1.4 to 2.59 meters

#3: Stepped Eagle (National bird)

The steppe eagle is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle’s well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the “booted eagles”.

• Mass: 2.5kg
• Speed:  It may fly as fast as 60 km/h in a horizontal flight, reaching even 300 km/h in a diving flight.
• Wingspan: 165-190cm
• Diet: The Steppe Eagle’s diet is largely fresh dead animals of all kinds, but it will kill rodents and other small mammals up to the size of a rabbit, and birds up to the size of partridges. It will also steal food from other raptors.
• Habitat: Steppe, dersert , semi desert, open savanna,pastures, paddy fields, grasslands, open grass lands.

#4: Saharan striped polecat

The Saharan striped polecat, also known as the Saharan striped weasel, Libyan striped weasel, and North African striped weasel is a species of mammal in the family Mustelidae. This animal is sometimes characterized as being a part of the genus Poecilictis, and its coloration resembles that of the striped polecat.

• Habitat: The Saharan striped polecat is found on the margins of deserts, especially in mountains, in arid, stony terrain and sandy semideserts, rarely seen in woodlands, and prefers steppe-like habitat. 
• Diet:the striped polecat is a carnivore. It has 34 sharp teeth which are optimal for shearing flesh and grinding meat. Its diet includes various small rodents, snakes, birds, amphibians, and insects.Due to their small stomachs, they must eat often, and have clawed paws to help them dig around in the dirt in pursuit of their next meal.
• Size: Striped polecats are about 60–70 cm (24–28 in) in length, including their tails.
• Mass:: Approx 1.4kgs

#5: Dorcas gazelle

The dorcas gazelle, also known as the ariel gazelle, is a small and common gazelle.

• Diet: Dorcas gazelles are herbivores (folivores, frugivores). They feed on leaves, flowers, and pods of many species of acacia trees, as well as the leaves, twigs, and fruits of various bushes. They can go their entire lives without drinking, as they can get all of the moisture they need from the plants in their diets.
• Habitat: Dorcas gazelles live in a variety of arid and semi-arid habitats including savannah, semi-desert, and true desert. They prefer rocky plains with small amounts of vegetation and avoid habitats with large areas of dunes.
• Size: 55–65 cm at the shoulder.
• Length: with a head and body length of 90–110 cm
• Mass:15-20 kg
• Speed:80 km/h – 96 km/h