Below you can find a complete list of Iranian animals. We currently track 259 animals in Iran and are adding more every day!
Situated at the crossroads between Western Asia and India, Iran is a land of steep mountainous terrain, semi-arid deserts, and mixed forests. Featuring a rich history that dates back to the original Persian Empire, it is bound between Iraq in the west and Pakistan in the east, the Caspian Sea in the north, and the Persian Gulf in the south. The country has a particularly rich heritage of felines, hoofed mammals, bats, rodents, reptiles, and migrating birds.
The Official National Animal of Iran
Rather than a single national animal, Iran instead has a list of national symbols, which includes the Asiatic lion, Asiatic cheetah, Persian leopard, Persian cat, and Persian fallow deer.
Where to Find the Top Wild Animals in Iran
The best place to find Iran’s rich wildlife is its national parks. The Nayband Wildlife Reserve, which is the country’s largest park at 6,000 square miles, consists of mountains and desert plains in the South Khorasan Province toward the east. It is native to leopards, gazelles, goats, and plenty of snakes.
The Khar Turan National Park, which is the country’s second-largest wildlife reserve, can be found in the northeast, near the Caspian Sea. It forms a long stretch of protected land with the nearby Golestan National Park and the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge.
The Sorkheh Hesar Forest Park, Lar National Park, and Khojir National Park are all located directly to the east of Tehran. They are good places to observe migrating birds that arrive for the winter. Finally, the Kavir National Park to the east of Namak Lake has some Indian wolves, striped hyenas, Asiatic cheetahs, and gazelles.
The Most Dangerous Animals in Iran Today
Although Iran is home to several big carnivores, attacks on humans from wolves and bears are very rare. For the most dangerous animals, you should consider the more venomous species.
- Scorpions – Iran has many different species of scorpions, but one particular species that goes by the scientific name of Hemiscorpius lepturus has a strangely painless sting. This hides the fact that dangerous toxins are spreading throughout the body and can lead to serious wounds, inflammation, and even death. In fact, this one species seems to be responsible for the vast majority of scorpion deaths in Iran.
- Snakes – Iran is the home of quite a few venomous snake species in its arid deserts. The Persian horned viper and the spider-tailed horned viper have toxins that cause some bleeding and hemorrhaging. The Caspian cobra, which only lives in the arid northeastern part of the country, has neurotoxin that can cause weakness, paralysis, and even death. However, the saw-scaled viper, which is native to the Middle East and India, might be responsible for more deaths than any other snake.
Endangered Animals in Iran
Despite the fact that large stretches of the country are sparsely inhabited by humans, many of Iran’s larger animals are still facing the prospect of extinction. The country’s conservation efforts need to be improved before it’s too late for many of these endangered species.
- Persian Leopard – This subspecies of the leopard only has about 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild and is now in danger of becoming extinct.
- Asiatic Cheetah – This subspecies once stretched across India and the Middle East, but as a result of habitat loss, hunting, and a fall in prey numbers, it’s thought that less than a hundred now remain in the wild. It is highly endangered and could eventually become extinct.
- Caspian Seal – Found exclusively along the shores of the Caspian Sea, this seal species has fallen from a high of 1.5 million to perhaps around 100,000 due to predation, industrialization, and overexploitation of the local ecosystem.
- Persian Fallow Deer – Nearly hunted to extinction by the late 19th century, this deer has been slowly reintroduced to parts of its former habitat. However, there are still only about a thousand of them remaining.
- Siberian Crane – This waterbird has a western population and an eastern population. The western population breeds in Siberia and migrates south for the winter near the Caspian Sea. However, there are very few western cranes remaining and they may already be extinct.
- Egyptian Vulture – Sporting a white plumage, this species of scavenging vulture is threatened by hunting, pesticide use, intentional poison, power lines, and other human activity.
The Flag of Iran
The Iranian flag is a tricolor with three evenly spaced bands of various colors, including green, white, and red. The country’s crest, which is red and stylized to look like a tulip, and contains the word, Allah, is located at the center of the white band. The flag also includes the Arabic salutation Allāhu Akbar. It is written in Kufic script 11 times on the inside corners of the red and green bands.
Iranian Animals
Stunningly beautiful wings
Each adult Angora goat produces about 12 inches of mohair annually while kids have about 8 inches.
First evolved 100 million years ago!
Renew their horns every year!
They are so named because they "march" in armies of worms from one crop to another in search of food
Known to eat 160 different tree-borne fruits in Thailand!
Extinct ancestor of all domesticated cattle!
Has a curved, upturned beak!
People spin clothing and fishing nets out of these spiders’ silk.
There are over 1768 known species!
Found everywhere around the world!
Older offspring help care for new hatchlings.
Detects prey using echolocation!
There are 8 different species!
Bed bugs feed for 4-12 minutes.
Rock paintings of bees date back 15,000 years
There are more than 350,000 different species
Not all birds are able to fly!
The biscuit beetle form a symbiotic relationship with yeast
They typically prey on insects!
These snakes have been introduced to all continents, except Antarctica!
“Mild-Mannered Minimonsters”
Can live its entire life indoors
The most common species of bee!
There are thought to be up 17,500 species!
Can survive without water for 10 months!
The camel crickets that are found in the USA are light brown in color. They also have dark streaks all over their body.
Fast, carnivorous arachnid with a painful bite.
Has 20 different muscles in it's ears!
Carpenter ants can lift up to seven times their own weight with their teeth!
The Carpet Viper probably bites and kills more people than any other species of snake.
Cashmere goat are named after Kashmir regions of India and Pakistan
May have been domesticated up to 10,000 years ago.
The larvae of a moth or butterfly!
There are nearly 3,000 different species!
There are about 3,000 documented species!
There are more than 160 different species!
The fastest land mammal in the world!
First domesticated more than 10,000 years ago!
Cicadas have one of the longest insect lifespans
This vulture can fly at great heights. At least one was found a few thousand feet from the top of Mount Everest.
Dated to be around 300 million years old!
Pupae are able to undergo diapause to survive poor fruit yield years and winter.
The most common raptor in the UK!
The common furniture beetle feeds exclusively on wood
House spiders have the ability to eat most insects in a home.
A group of ravens is called an unkindness or a conspiracy.
They can fly 35 mph and dive 150 feet below water.
There are nearly 1.5 billion worldwide!
There are 93 different crab groups
Crab Spiders can mimic ants or bird droppings
Many are critically endangered species!
Male crickets can produce sounds by rubbing their wings together
Have changed little in 200 million years!
Crocodylomorphs include extinct ancient species as well as 26 living species today.
A group of these birds is called a Murder.
There are around 40 different species!
Solitary locusts are grey while gregarious locusts are yellow with stripes.
Diving bell spiders can breathe underwater using an air bubble on their abdomen
First domesticated in South-East Asia!
Dog ticks feed on dogs and other mammals
First domesticated 5,000 years ago!
Found in Europe, Africa and Asia!
It's larvae are carnivorous!
Rows of tiny plates line their teeth!
The dung beetle can push objects many times its own weight
Has exceptional eyesight!
They are hermaphrodites, which means they have male and female organs
There are nearly 2,000 different species!
Eels can be a mere few inches long to 13 feet!
They steal large ostrich eggs and use rocks and pebbles to crack the shells.
Elasmotherium might have had a monstrous horn, giving it the name "The Siberian Unicorn."
Spends around 22 hours a day eating!
The shy eurasian bullfinch prefers to forage very close to cover.
The Eurasian Eagle-owl is the second largest owl in the world with a wingspan up to six feet!
The Eurasian jay has the ability to mimic other sounds
They can eat up to 250 bees per day!
They are frequent visitors to backyard feeders, especially those containing niger seeds.
Male robins are so aggressive and territorial that they will attack their own reflections.
The fastest creatures on the planet!
The fallow deer has more variation in its coat colors than most other deer.
False spiders actually prey on black widow spiders and other hazardous spiders
The fiddler crab gets its name from the motion the males make with their over-sized claw during the mating ritual.
Found across mainland Europe and Asia!
The firefly produces some of the most efficient light in the world
Adult fleas can jump up to 7 inches in the air
There are more than 240,000 different species!
Can glide up to 90 meters!
Only 12 species are considered "true foxes"
There are around 7,000 different species!
Fruit flies are among the most common research animals in the world
Named for the Arabic word for love poems
There are thought to be over 2,000 species!
Originally known as the Desert Rat!
The most common type of urban roach
The largest fish in its genus
Found inhabiting dense woodland and caves!
Males form large mating swarms at dusk
Most closely related to the Sheep!
The goldcrest never starts moving and needs to consume for most of the day to survive. Therefore, in the colder months, it's best that eat 90% a day.
Their calls sound like high-pitched screams, but they are quiet most of the time.
Migrates between Europe and Asia!
There are 29 different species!
There are 11,000 known species!
Can spot a dead animal from thousands of feet away
One of the most invasive species in the world
Able to run as quickly backwards as forwards!
Can reach speeds of over 50 mph!
Many hawk moth caterpillars eat toxins from plants, but don’t sequester them the way milkweed butterflies do. Most toxins are excreted.
Thought to be one of the oldest mammals on Earth!
Inhabits wetlands around the world!
One of earth's bravest creatures!
There are only 8 recognized species!
Stunning bird with a stinky way to deter predators!
Horned vipers sidewind across the desert sands of their home.
Has evolved over 50 million years!
Horseflies have been seen performing Immelmann turns, much like fighter jets.
Thought to have orignated 200,000 years ago!
Some huntsman spiders have an interesting way of moving around. Some cartwheel while others do handsprings or backflips.
There are four different species!
Can jump over 6 feet straight up from a standstill
Found in swamps, marshes and wetlands!
There are an estimated 30 million species!
Can maintain speeds of 16 km/h!
Tiny rodent with a kangaroo-like jump!
Some can jump 50 times the length of their bodies
Inhabits wetlands and woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 5,000 species worldwide!
Spends much of the time high in the trees!
The first ever domesticated lizard! There are now more than 100 unique color morphs thanks to selective breeding.
The offspring of a lion and tiger parents!
While linnets are monogamous during mating season, they do not mate for life. While breeding pairs are together, the males are highly territorial and will defend the nesting site and the surrounding area.
There are around 5,000 different species!
Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day.
Ear tufts make it look bigger!
Often hangs upside down while feeding!
They are found across Europe, Asia and Africa!
Found throughout Asia, India and China!
There are 2,500 known species worldwide!
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
Some species have a poisonous bite!
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!
Adult Mole crickets may fly as far as 5 miles during mating season and are active most of the year.
Range in size from just 1 to 3 foot!
Has characteristics of two or more breeds!
Some species are thought to carry a weak venom!
There are around 260 known species!
Feeds on aquatic insects and water-spiders!
Only the female mosquito actually sucks blood
There are 250,000 different species!
Found on every continent on Earth!
The offspring of a horse and donkey parents!
Many people believe the hill myna bird is better at mimicking humans than a parrot!
Roamed Asia and Europe for around 100,000 years!
Nematodes range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 28 feet long
Able to regrow lost or damaged limbs!
Named more than 1,000 years ago!
There are more than 5,000 species.
Northern pintails migrate at night with speeds reaching 48 miles per hour!
An onager's coat changes color with the season.
Females are about four times the size of males
They reuse nesting sites for 70 years!
There are 13 different species worldwide
The owl can rotate its head some 270 degrees
Monk parakeets are the only parakeets that actually build nests. They’re also the only parakeets to nest in great colonies.
Can live for up to 100 years!
Thought to have originated in the Middle East!
Females lay between 8 and 12 eggs per clutch!
Thought to have been domesticated in 9,000 BC!
They can find their way back to their nests from up to 1300 miles away.
Found in mountainous regions and rocky areas
A pine marten can jump from tree to tree similar to a squirrel.
The smallest of the North American salmon
There are 500 different species!
There are 30 different species worldwide!
The mantis can turn its head 180 degrees.
Inhabits woodland and forest areas worldwide!
There are more than 300 different species!
Omnivores that eat anything!
Rat snakes are constrictors from the Colubridae family of snakes.
A male red deer shows his age in his antlers, which become longer and more branched every year.
This bird moves its tail to steer its body like a rudder on a boat.
The redback spiders found in New Caledonia differ from other populations in that they don’t practice sexual cannibalism and don’t bite people as much.
It's horns are made from keratin!
Inhabits freshwater habitats around the world!
There are more than 45 species in Australia alone!
The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, likes to be in and around bodies of water. Because of this, the Catholic Church in South America decided that it was a fish, and people were allowed to eat it during Lent and First Fridays.
Will mate with the entire flock!
Its scientific name, lagopus, is Ancient Greek for “hare” and “foot,” referring to its feathered feet and toes.
Known by at least five different names
Ferrets were used during the Revolutionary War to keep down the rat population.
There are more than 700 different species!
The Saluki is one of the fastest dog breeds in the world.
They can survive for weeks without drinking water because the get moisture from their prey.
The sand crab burrows beneath the sand with its tail
This is the smallest venomous snake in India's Big Four.
There are around 2,000 known species!
The sea eagle tends to mate for life with a single partner
Males give birth to up to 1,000 offspring!
Around 35 million in the English countryside!
The short-eared owl is one of the most widespread owl species in the world, covering five continents.
The spinal column of the shrew Scutisorex somereni is so strong and reinforced that it can support the weight of an adult human.
There are 2,000 different species worldwide!
Some skinks lay eggs in some habitats while giving birth to skinklets in other habitats.
Found widely throughout British gardens!
They glide around on one foot, which is aided by the slime they produce
Has up to 45 eggs per egg case
There are nearly 1,000 different species!
There are around 4,000 known species worldwide
A male song thrush can have over 100 phrases in his repertoire of songs and can imitate pet birds, telephones and other man-made objects.
There are 140 different species!
They like to hide in crevices on the sides of cliffs, waiting for prey.
They prey on spiders to feed their larvae or they parasitize other spider wasps.
Small rodents found in woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 3,000 different species!
Average adults weigh about 200 grams!
They can’t sing like other birds.
The striped hyenas usually mark their territories with the help of the scent gland secretions from their anal pouch.
Populations have been affected by pollution!
Unlike most geckos, tangerine leopard geckos have movable eyelids.
Tarantula hawks are excellent pollinators, especially for milkweed.
Their mounds can be up to 9 meters tall!
The American robin is called the robin because its red breast reminded European settlers of the robin back in the old country.
They inject hosts with a chemical that stops them from feeling the pain of the bite
The adult tiger beetle is one of the fastest land insects in the world
Can live until they are more than 150 years old!
Found in warmer jungles and forests!
Some species of aquatic turtles can get up to 70 percent of their oxygen through their butt.
Urials are the ancestors of modern-day domesticated sheep.
Vinegaroons can spray 19 times before the glands are depleted
Vipers are one of the most widespread groups of snakes and inhabit most
There are 30 different species worldwide!
There are around 75,000 recognised species!
Has been domesticated for thousands of years!
Spends most of it's time in the trees!
The smallest carnivorous mammal in the world!
There are two different types of white ferrets!
It is one of the biggest birds of prey.
None have been seen in the wild for 50 years!
Males have a top tusk to sharpen the bottom one!
Thought to date back more than 300,000 years!
Carnivorous arachnid that hunts its prey.
This animal can roll up into a ball
Unlike most spiders, woodlouse spiders don’t build a web.
There are 200 different species!
They feign death by making their bodies limp and closing their eyes.
There are around 75 different species!
Iranian Animals List
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What animals live in Iran?
Iran has plenty of big cats, ungulates (hoofed mammals), rodents, reptiles, and migrating birds. The country seems to be particularly rich in bats as well.
What is the most dangerous animal in Iran?
The most dangerous animals might be scorpions or snakes, including the very venomous and aggressive saw-scaled viper.
Are there lions in Iran?
The Asiatic lion, a subspecies of the common lion, once roamed Iran, but the only country you can now find it is in India. The Iranian government has made a few attempts to restore the lion population to very limited success thus far.
Are there bears in Iran?
Yes, Iran is home to a light-colored version of the brown bear and the Asiatic black bear (which can be identified by the white mark on the chest). However, not much is known about their native ecological role in Iran.
What is the national animal of Iran?
Iran has several national symbols, including the Asiatic lion, Asiatic cheetah, Persian leopard, Persian cat, and Persian fallow deer.
Are there monkeys in Iran?
No, Iran does not have any monkeys, since it lacks the appropriate climate and forests.