Animals in Qatar A Complete Guide to Wildlife You Will Actually Find There

Arabian Sand Gazelle — Built for the Desert Plains

The Arabian sand gazelle, known locally as rheem, is Qatar's only native gazelle species. It embodies the desert landscape more completely than almost any other animal.

Sand gazelles are slender, fast, and physiologically adapted to extreme aridity. They can regulate their body temperature by allowing it to rise several degrees before activating cooling mechanisms, a strategy that reduces water lost through sweating. They extract most of their moisture from food.

They live across Qatar's open gravel plains and dune margins, typically in small herds. They are most active in early morning and late afternoon. During the hottest hours of the day they rest in shade or simply stand facing away from the sun to reduce heat exposure.

Qatar's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change runs breeding programmes for sand gazelles alongside the Arabian oryx at protected reserves. Field studies monitor population dynamics and habitat use. The gazelle appears at Al Reem Biosphere Reserve and in protected desert areas throughout the country.