Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WILDLIFE
Iran's diverse landscapes are home to a fascinating and sometimes exhilarating mix of
wildlife. Seeing this fauna is not easy but with planning, patience and good guiding, you
might get lucky.
Mammals
Iran is home to 158 species of mammal, about
one-fifth of which are endemic. Large cats, in-
cluding the Persian leopard and Asiatic cheetah
(
Click here
)
, are the most glamorous, but a
range of wild sheep, deer, gazelle and bears are
just as interesting.
Indeed, Iran's seven species of wild sheep might well be the progenitors of the modern,
garden variety sheep and goat. They include species such as the Transcaspian oreal,
Laristan mouflon and Alborz red sheep, an ibex with a long black beard and curved horns.
And, as described in Jason Elliot's book
Mirrors of the Unseen,
the origins of the modern
horse come from the loins of the pint-sized and now near-extinct Caspian horse.
Notable other species include the spectacular Persian wild ass, goitered and Jebeer
gazelles, maral, Asian black bear and brown bear. Most larger mammals are found in the
forests of the Alborz Mountains, although large cats, wild dogs and gazelle are also found
around the deserts.
Camels still roam the deserts of the eastern provinces of Kerman, Sistan va Baluchestan
and Khorestan, and while they might look wild they almost certainly belong to nomadic or
seminomadic communities.
Iran harbours more than 8200 species of plants,
about 2000 of them endemic.
Birds
Sitting at the crossroads of the European, Ori-
ental and African faunal regions, and harbouring
an amazing array of habitats from Alpine tops to
semitropical mangroves and inter-tidal sand
flats, Iran is an exceptional country for birds,
boasting almost 500 species, many of which are
listed as globally endangered. While the jewel in the crown is the Pleske's ground jay, a
bird unique to Iran and a resident of the central deserts, the country is also rich in mountain
species, including Caspian snowcock, Caucasian black grouse and Radde's accentor, as
Serious birders should bring
Birds of the Middle
East,
by RF Porter, S Christensen and P
Schiermacker-Hansen.
