Sir Bani Yas is Arabia’s great wilderness reserve, an island that rolls to the rhythm of nature. It’s home to some 13,000 animals, along with an astonishing abundance of life that lives under the water.

The Sir Bani Yas wildlife offers an intimate safari experience, immersing you in all the drama and charms of the wild. Many of the animals on Sir Bani Yas are endangered and / or indigenous, giving the island an appeal that stretches far beyond Arabia. What are you going to see? Here’s an overview of 20 different animals on Sir Bani Yas.

10 Animals on Sir Bani Yas

1. Sudan cheetah – the world’s fastest land mammal is as beautiful as it is graceful. It’s the apex predator on the island and perhaps the most thrilling animal to spot.
2. Striped hyena – Mischievous and often comical, the hyena is both an able hunter and an expert scavenger. You might hear them through the night if you stay at one of the Sir Bani Yas resorts.
3. Golden jackal and caracal – These two small predators offers an hypnotic sight, being rarely bigger than domestic pets but much more vicious.
4. Arabian oryx – This is one animal on Sir Bani Yas you can’t miss. The island is home to the world’s largest herd of endangered Arabian oryx, with some 400 of them roaming around. Spotting them all together is a majestic experience.
5. Arabian mountain gazelle – Elegant and enthusiastic, you’ll find the mountain gazelle iconically skipping across the desert. One minute it’s there, the next minute it’s bounded away.
6. Blackbuck – Imported from the Indian sub-continent, you can easily recognise this Sir Bani Yas wildlife by their distinctive twisted horns and shimmering black fur.
7. Sand gazelle – On a safari, you’ll probably find that this dainty antelope is the most abundant of the animals on Sir Bani Yas. They’re everywhere, bounding around with grace and enthusiasm.
8. Reticulated giraffe – Okay, so the world’s tallest mammal isn’t native to Arabia. But it’s always an iconic and unmissable sight. Just look towards the horizon and you’ll see their giant necks poking up.
9. Barbary sheep and Urial sheep – These wild sheep species have astonishing horns, great curled efforts that are used by males for asserting dominance. They don’t really look like sheep, making them a bizarre and unusual safari spot.
10. The red deer – Looking like a reindeer but plodding like a camel, this large deer is another of the eccentric animals on Sir Bani Yas. They’re not pretty but they’re certainly intriguing.

Another 10 Unique Animals on Sir Bani Yas

Following it so far? Already have a few names on your Sir Bani Yas safari tick list? Remember, this island isn’t like visiting a zoo. All these animals are completely wild, meaning you see them in a completely natural environment. Don’t expect to touch. Instead, appreciate the charms of exploring the untouched rhythm of nature. Here’s another ten animals of Sir Bani Yas.

11. Somali ostrich – Seriously fast and rather stupid, the Somali ostrich is found running around the desert in small flocks. This animal shouldn’t be approached. While ostrich look harmless, they can cause severe injury by aiming kicks and pecking at anyone who gets too close.
12. Emu – The Sir Bani Yas wildlife offers an intimate journey through the world’s different bird species. An emu is smaller than an ostrich with a shorter yet fatter neck.
13. Greater flamingo – Covering the mangroves in a distinctive pink, flamingos impress from all angles. View a flock from a distance and the water appears engulfed in pink. Get closer and you pick out the individual birds.
14. Egyptian hedgehog – Native to the UAE, this tiny little animal can be found when it emerges at dusk to hunt. It’s perhaps the cutest of all the small animals on Sir Bani Yas.
15. Rock hyrax – Looking like an oversized guinea pig, this abundant animal is found when you explore rocky escarpments. It’s also fond of getting very close to some of the Sir Bani Yas resorts.
16. Dolphins – Both bottlenose and humpback dolphins have found a home in the waters around Sir Bani Yas. If you fly to the island there’s a good chance of spotting a pod from the seaplane window as you come in to land.
17. Three sea turtle species – There’s seven different species of sea turtle around the world. The Sir Bani Yas wildlife includes four of these. On a snorkelling or diving excursion there’s a good probability of spotting the green turtle, hawksbill turtle, and loggerhead turtle. All three of these are critically endangered.
18. Leatherback turtle – If you’re lucky, you can also see the gargantuan leatherback turtle that measures three metres across and almost a ton in weight. Spending longer on the island increases your chances of experiencing the rarer Sir Bani Yas wildlife like the leatherback.
19. Dugong – These marine creatures are known as sea cows in Arabic, an apt description for their feeding habits and strange noses. It’s just about the oddest thing you can find under the water.
20. Osprey – Finding the Sir Bani Yas wildlife also requires you to look up. Gracing the sky is the osprey, a predatory bird that dive bombs into the water and catches fish in its talons.

20 More Animals to Find on Sir Bani Yas

The Sir Bani Yas wildlife isn’t confined to these 20 species. Explore the island and there’s at least another 20 animals to find. Even on a day trip you’ll see dozens of different animals. An overnight Sir Bani Yas holiday provides the complete immersion in nature, with a wild soundtrack accompanying a relaxed evening on the island. Stay for longer, do more activities, and you’ll increase the chances of finding the complete list of animal on Sir Bani Yas.

Seawings Lifestyle offers chartered flights to Sir Bani Yas Island along with bespoke Sir Bani Yas holidays.

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