Wildlife
Camels in the desert
Wildlife in Qatar is severely limited due to the country's desert and weather patterns. There are few mammals in the country and those that do exist include the oryx, hedgehog, hare, bat, and fox. The sea life is more varied in the nearby Persian Gulf, although there are no inland lakes or rivers. In the gulf there are thousands of animals, including shrimp, oysters, mackerel, grouper, and swordfish and dozens of mollusks.
There are also a large number of birds that pass through Qatar, but most only pass through on a migratory route north-south. Among these include flamingoes, small ostriches, the bee-eater, egret, cormorants, gulls, terns, and more. There are not many amphibians in Qatar, but a number of reptiles can live in the deserts here as there are lizards, geckos, and sea turtles. Among the other animals on the peninsula are insects, spiders, and scorpions.