Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Thriving and diverse marine life exists off Oman's long coastline and there are many is-
lands, the chief of which is the desert island of Masirah.
Wildlife
ANIMALS
Oman's isolated mountains and wadis provide a haven for a variety of animals. These in-
clude over 50 types of mammals, such as wolves, foxes, hedgehogs, jerboas and hares.
The largest land mammal that a visitor is likely to see is the gazelle, a herd of which lives
in a protected area along the Qurayat-Sur coast highway.
There are 13 different species of whale and dolphin in Omani waters, including the
world's biggest living creature, the blue whale. Oman also has an important biodiversity
of molluscs. Indeed, the rich variety of shells adds to the pleasure of visiting the coast.
The
Oman Bird List
is updated regularly and published by the Oman Bird Records
Committee (OR1, available in Muscat bookshops); there are over 400 recorded species.
Spoonbills and flamingos frequent salt lagoons, even in Muscat, but the country is interna-
tionally renowned for its migrating raptors. For more information, it's worth buying
Bird-
life in Oman
, by Hanne and Jens Eriksen. Keen ornithologists should contact the Oman
Bird Group (
Click here
)
.
There is a wide diversity of insects in Oman - from the mighty minotaur beetle to the
fig tree blue, orange pansy and other butterflies - attracted to Oman's fertile wadis or
desert acacias.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Oman is of global importance to the survival of the endangered green turtle and has one of
the largest nesting sites in the world at Ras al Jinz. There are five endangered species of
turtle supported by the coasts of Oman, all protected by royal decree.
Oman's varied terrain is home to a large number of endangered species, including
houbara bustard, ibex,
tahr
(an Omani species of a goatlike animal) and Arabian leopard.
The latter frequents Jebel Samhan in Dhofar and has even been known to stroll onto the
runway at Salalah. There are also declining numbers of sand cat, caracal, honey badger
and mongoose.
The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Jiddat al-Harasis protects a herd of wild oryx.
