Egyptian Spiny Mouse

A typical mountain dweller in the UAE is the Egyptian spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus ). It was first recorded here in 1995, during the same survey that confirmed the presence of the tahr and Blanford’s fox. Dark to reddish-brown in colour with a pale underside, it has a white patch under each eye and behind the relatively large ears. The hair on its back is replaced by relatively strong spines but it is unclear to what extent they help to protect the animal. It is said that domestic cats do not like to eat spiny mice, since they find them difficult to swallow. Absent from the open desert, they feed on seeds, vegetable matter and insects.