Rodents, bats survive desert hardship, wildlife erosion

Rodents, bats and hedgehogs have defied the desert hardships and erosion of wildlife in the UAE through massive hunting and post-oil development projects.

These have survived extinction at a time when most other animals have either vanished or become highly endangered. Thousands of mice and rats are still swarming the sand, cultivations and mountains, while hedgehogs sneak out at dusk for hunting and crowds of bats spend most of the day dangling from caves in remote mountains before they fly out at night in search of prey.

A report on the UAE wildlife published by the Ministry of Information and Culture found that large numbers of these mammals still live in the UAE when scores of other have become extinct because of excessive hunting and development plans.

"Rodents are the largest group of mammals living in the UAE. Hedgehogs still swarm the area. They are nocturnal animals, spending the day in a sheltered location, emerging at dusk when they start to hunt for insects and reptiles.

"Regarding bats, several insect-eating species of these animals, as well as one fruit-eating bat, occur in the UAE's mountains and other areas."

The rodents include the lesser Jerboa, which has greatly enlarged hind legs with large hair tufts on its back feet, enabling it to move in leaps in a similar style to the kangaroo.

"The Jerboa often sits on its hind legs using the tail as a third leg, in the manner of a tripod. It is a sandy beige in colour with a white belly, rather large, rounded ears and conspicuous big black eyes," the report said.

Another species is the Cheesman's gerbil which is also widespread in the Emirates and has many similarities with the lesser Jerboa. Other species include the Baluchistan Gerbil, the Egyptian spiny mouse and the jirds, the largest rodents in the UAE.

Hedgehogs are represented by three species in the UAE, the largest and most common being Brandt's hedgehog, which has an overall dark to black appearance with only the tip of its muzzle and the inside of its ears being grey.

"As their spines offer poor protection against cold, they hibernate during the cool season, even in Arabia. In the Emirates, they are found in the mountains as well as in the desert and the coastal plains. Only the little long-eared hedgehog seems to favour the proximity of cultivations and inhabited areas."

Bats can be seen at night swooping on insects, while they spend the day dangling in caves, where they also breed. Bats still exist in large numbers in the UAE as they are active only at night and they live in caves in remote mountains.

"They are gregarious animals that may gather in quite large numbers. Pregnant females separate themselves from the main group towards the end of the gestation period, and in an undisturbed corner they give birth to their young ones while hanging upside down.

"The young bats are born blind, without fur, and immediately cling to the mother. After a few days their eyes open and soon they leave the mother's body to hang by themselves, but they are still dependent on the mother's milk. As several females often use the same quiet corner of a colony's cave to give birth, the nurseries can contain a considerable number of young bats."

The report said that the Egyptian fruit bat has been on the decline and could rarely be seen in the UAE because of frequent migration to other areas for food, and excessive use of pesticides in local farms.

"The fruit-eating bat is also only night active, sleeping in caves or old buildings. It was present in considerable numbers at certain times of the year, but excessive use of pesticides seems to have taken a heavy toll amongst this species, and today it is only rarely seen."