By reason of its vast area and its position in the midst of widely differing zones—Indian lands, Arab lands, Turkistān, and the Caucasus—Iran is basically a meeting-place of foreign influences, pervaded by the highly original character of the country itself. All these factors presuppose an abundant fauna, which, even if it does not present the extraordinary multiplicity of forms apparent in the vegetation, is nevertheless of considerable interest both for its individuality and for its variety.

It is surprising that until recent years the country has never been seriously surveyed zoologically; existing records are sparse and much remains to be done. The only work of collation accomplished hitherto was an excellent book entitled Eastern Persia, a report by the Boundaries Commission, to which W. T. Blanford contributed the very lively and well-documented section on zoology. This work, which is already historic since it dates from 1876, was really the starting-point of Iranian zoology. The zoological exploration of the country is far from complete at the present day, but rapid progress is being made and certain principles have now been established which make it possible for the composition of the fauna to be understood.

About 129 species of mammals are found in Iran: 15 insectivora, 21 chiroptera, 28 carnivora, 1 pinniped, 12 ungulata, 4 lagomorpha, and 48 rodents. This is a considerable total; by comparison, Europe (without the Soviet Union), which is four times larger and much more varied ecologically, contains only about 133 species, very few more than are found in Iran.