المملكة: 14 species of predatory creatures were observed inhabiting several locations in the Kingdom

The National Center for Wildlife Development published a scientific paper entitled “Predator Diversity and Conservation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” in the scientific journal “Diversity.”
It included monitoring 14 species of predatory creatures, falling under the umbrella of 6 fungal species, inhabiting several environmental sites in the Kingdom.

Wildlife in Saudi Arabia

Diversity magazine is considered one of the scientific journals of high scientific value, and its rating is Q1 in the field of life sciences, due to its wide influence in the field of scientific research, and the extent of citations and quotes from researchers around the world.
The journal publishes research and discoveries in the fields of biodiversity, agriculture and ecosystems.
In monitoring these creatures, the center relied on the use of advanced monitoring techniques, such as trap cameras, which recorded footage during 4,787 nights in 58 sites of the predators’ natural habitats in the Kingdom.

Monitor types of objects

These recordings contributed to monitoring the types of organisms, their communities, their nutrition, their locations, the threats surrounding them, and the characteristics of their natural habitats.
The red fox was the most frequently observed species in the study, having been spotted in 15 different environmental sites, followed by the striped hyena, whose presence in the study was recorded in 13 environmental sites, with the largest number of records of its presence in the Raydah Reserve in the Asir region.
They are followed in prevalence by the Arabian wolf, while the honey badger was one of the least recorded species in the studied sites.

Kingdom habitats

The study confirmed that the Kingdom’s habitats host a rich biological diversity of predatory creatures, which are spread in several locations such as the southwestern region of the Kingdom.
It covers the plateaus of Asir, Jazan, and Najran extending to the Sarawat Mountains, and is one of the areas that host the largest number of predator species.
Many species, including the sand cat and sand fox, were also recorded in sandy deserts geographically distributed throughout the Kingdom.

Threats surrounding predators

The study monitored a number of threats that surround these predators and threaten their survival, such as killing, poisoning, trafficking, and loss of natural habitats.
The CEO of the National Center for Wildlife Development, Dr. Muhammad Qurban, said, “These practical papers that the Center is working on reveal an urgent need to conduct more studies on predators in the Kingdom.
This is to draw a clearer understanding of their life, reproduction, habitats, and genetic features, which enriches our scientific library and enhances the effectiveness of plans to rehabilitate and preserve environmental habitats.
It also reflects positively on the protection of the biodiversity of these fungal organisms in their natural habitats.”