The Arabian leopard lives in rugged mountainous and rocky areas.
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Today the Arabian leopard survives in Oman (the Dhofar Mountains, especially Jabal Samhan) and Yemen, and possibly in Saudi Arabia in very small numbers (the last confirmed sighting there was in 1997). It formerly lived in the Negev and the Hebron (Al-Khalil) Mountains in Israel and Palestine, in western and southern Jordan, in the Hajar and Musandam Mountains of the UAE, and possibly in Sinai, Egypt, and is now considered locally extinct in these areas.
In NAKTASHIF worlds:Introduction to the biodiversity and habitats of the Arabian PeninsulaMountains and rocky habitats
Approved version OWNER-REVIEW-20261022T134929231 · last approved 22 October 2026
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The Arabian leopard is associated with rugged mountain and rocky landscapes; it is a carnivorous predator and usually lives alone, except when mating or when a female is with her young.
Male and female Arabian leopards in Oman use large areas: one tracked female used a range of 64 km², while a male covered 168 km². Males share their ranges with females, and in southern Oman the leopard is mostly active at dawn and dusk.
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The Arabian leopard is critically endangered and its remaining range in the wild is very limited, so it is not a common wild animal in Saudi Arabia today.
The Arabian leopard population is estimated at about 100–120 individuals, of which only 70–84 are mature, mainly in two isolated subpopulations in Oman and Yemen of about 50 individuals each; fewer than 20 may remain in Saudi Arabia.