Animals
Saudi Arabia is considered a desert land. Most of the animals that live there are prone to the climate. Here are some of Saudi Arabias most popular animals.
Arabian Camel
Single hump. Head and body length: 10 feet. Shoulder height: 6-7 feet. Weight:1000-1500 pounds. Body is carried on long, slender legs ending in two toes beneath which is a broad, callous and elastic pad. Neck and head are both elongated. Upper lip is deeply cleft. Short tail. Eyes are heavily lashed. Ears are haired. Nostrils are slit-like. Coloration is fawn or beige. Coat is smooth and shorter than that of the Bactrian camel, but equally woolly.During rutting season, the male protrudes a fleshy fold from his mouth and emits a loud, unpleasant roar. A single calf, rarely two, is born after a gestation period of 13 months. The calf can move freely by the end of the first day. The mother nurses the young for one year. Maturity is at 3-5 years. Life span is 30-40 years. Females may breed every other year.
Arabian Cobra
It is a medium to large, slightly depressed, tapered and moderately slender bodied snake with a medium length tail. Body compressed dorsoventrally and subcylindrical posteriorly. Has long cervical ribs capable of expansion to form a hood when threatened. Measures roughly 1 m (3.28 ft) to 1.5 m (4.92 ft) in length, but may grow to lengths of 2.4 m (7.87 ft). The head is broad, flattened and slightly distinct from the neck. The canthus is distinct. The snout is rounded. The eyes are medium in size with round pupils. Dorsal scales are smooth and strongly oblique. Dorsal scale count (21 or 23) - (19 or 21, very rarely 17) - (15 or 17).
Apparently this species is a "spitter". It is mainly diurnal, often forages during the day on overcast days. If confronted, it will raise its forebody, spread its hood and readily spit (squirts) venom at the eyes of an intruder or aggressor.
Apparently this species is a "spitter". It is mainly diurnal, often forages during the day on overcast days. If confronted, it will raise its forebody, spread its hood and readily spit (squirts) venom at the eyes of an intruder or aggressor.
Arabian Horse
The Arabian, one of the oldest breed of horse, and is also the purest breed of horse. They have existed for at least 4,500 years. The Arabian horse is known to have been in existence since the time of Muhammad. It is also believed to have been developed by the nomadic Bedouin's in the desert belt of Africa, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Desert, for 2,500 years prior to that. As Islamic influence spread so did the Arabian horse, to be bred all over the Middle East and North Africa. With the Moorish invasion of Spain in the 7th century it was introduced to Europe.
Arabian Wolf
The Arabian Wolf (Canis lupus arabs), is a mammal of the order Carnivora. It is a subspecies of Gray Wolf which was once found throughout the Arabian Peninsula, but now only lives in small pockets in Southern Israel, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Their ears are proportionately larger in relation to body size when compared to other species, an adaptation needed to disperse body heat. This subspecies is unusual, as it is not known to howl. Arabian wolves are unique among gray wolves due to the middle two toes of their paws being fused, a trait originally thought unique to the African Wild Dog. Like other wolves, the Arabian wolf’s eyes are yellow, but many are found with brown eyes, which may indicate that a portion of the population is not of pure blood anymore and that their ancestors have interbred with feral dogs. This poses a very serious threat to the survival of this subspecies. Arabian wolves do not live in large packs, and instead hunt in pairs or in groups of about three to four animals. Arabian wolves will attack and eat any domestic animal up to the size of a goat. As a result, farmers will not hesitate to shoot, poison, or trap them. Arabian wolves also feed on hares, rodents, ungulates, and any carrion they can find. They will also take livestock when in the vicinity of human settlements.
Camel Spider
A camel spider, which is also in the class Arachnida with spiders interestingly enough, is not a spider at all. A camel spider is actually a solpugid, and there are about 900 species of them known to date. Around 50 species of camel spiders are found in southwest US and about 240 in southern Africa. The reason behind the name ‘camel spiders’ is simply because they are found in the desert. A Camel spider is also known as wind scorpion, sun spider, and wind spider. Camel Spiders can jump 4 or more feet into the air, eat the stomachs out of camels, and can grow to be the size of a dinner plate – again, another myth of which none are true. In fact, the picture of the soldier holding the camel spider is really a picture of two camel spiders attached to one another and held out in front of the soldier to make it appear larger than it really is! The picture of the smaller camel spider below is what you can expect