Below you can find a complete list of Kuwaiti animals. We currently track 204 animals in Kuwait and are adding more every day!
Down at the base of the Persian Gulf lies the Emirate of Kuwait, which is a small desert principality with a lot of petroleum products to sell on the world market. Kuwait is an erratically shaped country running about 100 miles by 126 miles at its widest points. There are really only two types of terrain in the country. There are various forms of hot, dry deserts and a small region of tidal flats and salt marshes along the coast. While it is searingly hot in the summer, winter temperatures can average down into the 50s, which can make for quite a contrast.
The Official National Animal Of Kuwait
The official national animal of Kuwait is the Arabian Camel, or Dromedary as it is sometimes called. There is also a national bird species, which is the Saker Falcon. This is a good-sized member of the falcon family that makes its home in central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.
Where To Find The Top Wild Animals In Kuwait
Apart from various domesticated species such as the camel, finding wildlife in Kuwait is not an easy task. The increasingly harsh desert climate was never very conducive to animals, and their numbers have fallen even further due to human intervention as well as climate degradation. Much of what is worth viewing in Kuwait is severely endangered and thus extremely rare to catch sight of under any circumstances.
A number of nature reserves have been established but they are often in close proximity to oil fields and other industrial sites. The Al-Jahra Natural Reserve is an interesting case in point. It is actually a man-made wetland reserve built around a series of wastewater treatment facilities that can at times render it as noisome as it can be beautiful.
Most viewing sites are found along the coast, where there is sufficient water to support wildlife and sufficient food to permit the survival of a limited number of species, particularly birds.
The Most Dangerous Animals In Kuwait
Most of the really dangerous animals of Kuwait are now considered to be extinct, at least in Kuwait itself. Among those that are not extinct, many of them are still very rare, and thus it is not likely to encounter them. For the ones that are still occasionally found, the various members of the snake tribe are likely to be the deadliest.
Since these creatures tend to burrow down into the sand in order to stay cool during the heat of the day, they are not often discovered visually. That dynamic switches over after the sun goes down. They may then choose to take advantage of your body heat during the relatively cool nights, which are hard on cold-blooded creatures such as the Cobra. These reptiles are not really being predatory towards humans but simply cuddling up next to them to stay warm. Finding a cobra in your bed, however, is not likely to be regarded as a compliment.
Another unique creature that is occasionally seen in Kuwait is the Honey Badger, which has been tagged as the fiercest animal in the world. Yet it is extremely rare inside the country and represents less of a threat than the more numerous risks offered by cobras and other dangerous snakes.
Endangered Animals In Kuwait
With the exception of domesticated species such as camels, it is probably easier to ask which species inside Kuwait are not endangered. Given the harsh terrain and the large degree of industrial development in many of the most salubrious parts of the emirate, almost everything is endangered to one degree or another. The majestic Lion was once seen in Kuwait but is no longer present. The same goes for many other predatory species once native to the region.
Another endangered species is the unique Fennec Fox, which resembles a furry Chihuahua with huge upright ears. Other endangered animals include the Arabian Oryx, a native antelope, and the more widely known Cheetah.
The Flag of Kuwait
On the 24th of October, 1961, Kuwait adopted its current flag, which has green, white, and red horizontal stripes with a black trapezoid on the hoist side.
Kuwaiti Animals
Stunningly beautiful wings
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
Arsinoitherium was a twin-horned mammal that looked like a rhino but is more closely related to present-day elephants.
Extinct ancestor of all domesticated cattle!
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.
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!
“Mild-Mannered Minimonsters”
Can live its entire life indoors
The most common species of bee!
There are thought to be up 17,500 species!
The camel crickets that are found in the USA are light brown in color. They also have dark streaks all over their body.
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.
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!
First domesticated more than 10,000 years ago!
Cicadas have one of the longest insect lifespans
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.
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!
A group of these birds is called a Murder.
There are around 40 different species!
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.
Spends around 22 hours a day eating!
Male robins are so aggressive and territorial that they will attack their own reflections.
The fastest creatures on the planet!
False spiders actually prey on black widow spiders and other hazardous spiders
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!
Migrates between Europe and Asia!
There are 29 different species!
There are 11,000 known species!
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!
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!
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!
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!
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
Some species have a poisonous bite!
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!
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!
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!
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
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
There are 500 different species!
There are 30 different species worldwide!
Inhabits woodland and forest areas worldwide!
There are more than 300 different species!
Omnivores that eat anything!
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!
Ferrets were used during the Revolutionary War to keep down the rat population.
There are more than 700 different species!
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
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 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!
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.
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!
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!
There are around 75 different species!
Kuwaiti Animals List
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What animals live in Kuwait?
In terms of sheer numbers, birds predominate in Kuwait. It is located along several avian migratory routes but also has its share of permanent birds in residence such as the Crab Plover, the Short-toed Snake Eagle, and the Kestrel, which is a type of small falcon.
Many of the inland bird species prey upon snakes, of which about three dozen species of these reptiles have been identified. Most of the snakes sleep during the day and hunt at night. These include the Black Desert Cobra and the Arabian Sand Boa. The Indian Grey Mongoose is also predatory towards the many snake species.
Other larger predators are also found in the wild but only in small numbers. These include the Jackal, the Honey Badger, and the Arabian Sand Cat.
The Saudi Gazelle is now presumed to be officially extinct outside of captivity but a few Arabian Oryxes are still found in the wild.
With regard to sea animals, Kuwait has its share of littoral visitors such as whales and dolphins. Crabs and other shoreline sea animals are also found. The largest colony of Crab Plovers in the world lives in Kuwait and feasts upon these sea animals.
Does Kuwait have snakes?
Yes. Kuwait has a large assortment of snake species considering how small the country actually is. Apart from the snakes, only a limited number of other reptiles are found.
How many animals are there in Kuwait?
Due to the terrain, climate, and level of industrial development in the country, Kuwait is relatively barren of wild animals in comparison to other parts of the world and even other parts of the Arabian peninsula.
Does Kuwait have bats?
Yes, although only two unique bat species have been identified. These are the Kuhl’s Pipistrelle and the Lesser Mouse-tailed Bat.