Category Archives: Domestic Animals

  • Canaan Dog

    The dogs illustrated in the Neolithic hunting scenes at Jubbah and Shuwaymis appear to be medium-sized, with erect ears and a curly tail. They do not have a slender build or long legs like a saluki or other sighthounds, but rather have average length legs and a strong, but not massive body.

  • Camel

    The Dromedary camel can be easily identified because of the single hump on its back. It is also the largest of all camels, having longer limbs than the Bactrian, or two-humped, camel, C. bactrianus. The Dromedary is extremely well adapted to hot, arid conditions, and is capable of surviving up to 21 days without water. Dromedaries vary in color from nearly white, to tan, to [...]

  • Domestic Cattle

    The domestic cattle depicted in Saudi rock art are similar in appearance to those shown in Egyptian art from the New Kingdom. Their horns are relatively long, lyre-shaped and more or less vertical. There is often a small bump at the shoulders most likely reflecting elongated thoracic spines, rather than a true hump like that found in Zebu cattle from India.

  • Goat

    Goats are one of the worldโ€™s oldest domesticated animals, having been brought under human control more than 10,000 years ago. They have been kept for their milk, meat, and hair throughout history. Approximately 2.2 millions goats live in Saudi Arabia.

  • Sheep

    Making up 25% of the worldโ€™s domestic sheep populations, the fat-tailed type is found in Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, North India, Western China and Central Asia. It dates back at least to 3000 BC, based on depictions found on stone vessels from Uruk, and the later Ur (2400 BCE), in Mesopotamia. These sheep were developed to increase the fat stored in their tails, which has [...]