Native Species – The Pharaoh Hound

At the centre: a depiction of the Pharaoh Hound. To the upper right: the inscription "IL-KELB TAL-FENEK"; along the lower edge: the issuing state "MALTA" and the year "2026". The designer Maria Anna Frisone's initials "MAF" appear to the left.

The Pharaoh Hound — in Maltese Kelb tal-Fenek, literally "rabbit dog" — is one of the oldest surviving domestic dog breeds in the world and is regarded as Malta's national animal. Archaeological finds and ancient depictions from the Mediterranean region show dogs with the same slender build, upright ears, and short reddish-gold coat that still characterize the breed today. In Malta, the Kelb tal-Fenek has served for centuries as a hunting dog for rabbit hunting, a practice deeply rooted in the rural Maltese population. The breed was officially recognized as Malta's national dog breed in 1974 and has been preserved through breeding programs on the islands, although its overall worldwide population remains small.

The Kelb tal-Fenek's distribution was historically almost entirely confined to Malta and Gozo, making the breed a biological and cultural special case in the Mediterranean. Phylogenetic studies have shown that the Pharaoh Hound is genetically more closely related to other Mediterranean landrace breeds than to ancient Egyptian dog populations — the popular origin story that traces it directly back to the pharaohs' hunting dogs is not supported by research. Regardless, its significance for Maltese identity is beyond question: the Kelb tal-Fenek appears on state symbols and remains present in the islands' everyday culture. In 2026, Malta dedicates a 2-euro commemorative coin to it as part of the Native Species series.