The most commonly spotted species in Algeria are wild boars, jackals, gazelles, foxes, jerboas (small, mouse-like desert rodent), marsh mongoose and some types of hyena, typically the striped hyena. Also common but seldom seen are panthers, leopards and cheetahs. One can also find a number of snakes, lizards and reptiles in the arid regions.
According to Avibase, a bird checklist of the world, there are 401 known species of birds in Algeria, including 13 globally threatened species. Algeria is home to 34 types of ducks, swans and geese, 25 different types of hawks, 22 types of gulls as well as many other types of loons, owls, shearwater birds, pelicans and larks, among others. It is also home to the ostrich and flamingo.
Algeria is also home to a diverse group of endangered species that are protected under Algerian wildlife conservation laws. Of these are the Barbary macaques, a monkey that is native to Algeria and Morroco; the chalcides mauritanicus or the two-fingered skink; the serval, a wild feline with leopard-like spots; the Mediterranean monk seal, a coastal creature that gives birth to only one pup; the Dama gazelle; the Algerian wild dog and a few species of bats.
Algeria is the former home for a few extinct species, or species that have not been spotted in the country for decades. The scimitar oryx, a large, horned antelope that was hunted for its horns is considered extinct in the wild with very few living in conservation in North America. The Barbary lion, a native feline of North Africa has not been seen since 1922 and is a focus species of the Preservation Station in Algeria, a wildlife protection program.
