Sand Fox, Blanford’s Fox, Fennec Fox, Egyptian Weasel, Striped Weasel, Zorilla, Marbled Polecat, Small-spotted Genet, Egyptian Mongoose, Striped Hyena, Aardwolf, Wild Cat, Swamp Cat, Sand Cat, Caracal, Cheetah, Leopard
Fin Whale, Sei Whale, Humpback Whale, Sperm Whale, Narwhal, Common Dolphin, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin, Risso’s Dolphin, Short-finned Pilot Whale, False Killer Whale
Rock Hyrax, Yellow-spotted Hyrax
Addax, Scimitar-horned Oryx, Dorcas Gazelle, Slender-horned Gazelle, Mountain Gazelle, Ibex, Barbary Sheep
Giza Gerbil, Anderson’s Gerbil, Large North African Gerbil, Wagner’s Gerbil, Lesser Egyptian Gerbil, Pygmy Gerbil, Mackilligin’s Gerbil, Baluchistan Gerbil, Greater Egyptian Gerbil, Pallid Gerbil, Lesser Short-tailed Gerbil, Silky Jird, Libyan Jird, Shaw’s Jird, Tristram’s Jird, Negev Jird, Fat-tailed Jird, Fat Sand Rat, Bushy-tailed Jird, Four-toed Jerboa, Lesser Egyptian Jerboa, Greater Egyptian Jerboa, Cairo Spiny Mouse, Golden Spiny Mouse, House Mouse, Nile Kusu, House Rat, Brown Rat, Bandicoot Rat, Middle Eastern Dormouse, Crested Porcupine, Lesser Molerat
The genesis of this guide came way back in 1989 when I was writing a profile of one of Egypt’s leading naturalists, Ibrahim Helmy, for what was then Cairo Today. Having patiently endured several interviews for the piece, Ibrahim, with his customary generosity, handed me a copy of the key work on Egyptian mammals he had written with Dale Osborn, both then of the Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU), The Contemporary Land Mammals of Egypt (including Sinai). Within these pages I discovered the incredible variety of Egypt’s mammal fauna and for this gesture, and many others, I owe Ibrahim a huge debt. Also key in opening my eyes to the mammals of not only Egypt but the region has been David Harrison of the Harrison Institute in Sevenoaks in England. Each summer over the past few years, David has opened the doors of his Institute to me and allowed me access to his invaluable collection, without which many of the color plates in this book would not have been possible. He made many useful comments on the plates and has also shared his thoughts on subjects as diverse as the Sinai Leopard and gerbil taxonomy. Thanks also to Paul Bates. Another inspiration has been Sherif Baha El Din, with whom I have had the pleasure of sharing several expeditions, and whose skills as a field naturalist constantly astound. Thanks also to his wife Mindy Baha El Din for her zest and enthusiasm and to Dina Aly and Rank Khalil for their dedication to Egyptian wildlife. Of the many experts who unselfishly shared their knowledge with me I would particularly like to thank John Grainger of the St. Katherine Protectorate and the wardens who work so hard there under the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA),
