Inventory of flora and fauna of the Reserve is not completed. Presently, in two sections of Daghestan Nature Reserve and adjacent areas there are recorded 40 species of mammals, over 250 species of birds (of them more than 140 breed there), 21 species of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians, 70 species and subspecies of fish, 1 species of cyclostomes. The invertebrate fauna is poorly studied. Flora of the Reserve is composed of near 450 species of higher plants.
The invertebrate fauna of Sarykum is poorly studied. Directly in the territory of the barchan (at its base) it was recorded 148 species of snout-beetles and 141 species of ground beetles, but in the forthcoming years these lists will be complemented by a large number of new species.
Lepidoptera fauna is abundant on the barchan and especially adjacent arid slopes of the Narat-Tyube Ridge. According to preliminary estimates, it is more than a thousand species of diurnal and nocturnal butterflies.
The vertebrates, especially within the barchan territory, are dominated by reptiles and birds.
The Shura-Ozen River is inhabited by several fish species including Barbus barbus, Chalcamburnus chalcoides, Leuciscus cepahlus. Some quantity of Rutilus frisii kutumcomes into the river for spawning.
As for amphibians, the European green toad is common within the barchan. In the territory of IBA there are also recorded the lake frog, Caucasian wood frog and the European tree frog.
Small reptiles are the most numerous. The most common of them are the toad-headed agama and the rapid fringe-toad lizard. The first species is found on wind-blown sands of the barchan slopes, the second - mainly at its foot, where the sand is somewhat fixed by plants. At the foot of the barchan it can also be seen the Caucasus emerald lizard, Javelin sand boa, Dahl’s whip snake, Caspian whip snake, grass snake and the dice snake.
On the rocky slopes of Narat-Tyube the Caucasian agama is common.
Among rare and endangered reptile species within the IBA territory there are found the spur-thighed tortoise, blunt-nosed viper, collared dwarf snake, etc.
Avifauna of Sarykum and northern slopes of Narat-Tyube, according to the current data, includes... species, among which a high number of birds are listed in the Red Data Book of Russia (the Black Stork, Short-toed Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Levant Sparrowhawk, Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture, Lesser Kestrel, Eagle Owl, etc.)
In addition, Barchan Sarykum and especially its surroundings is, in fact, the only preserved area of Russia, where there are protected poor-studied bird species and inhabitants of the marginal zone of their distribution range. They are such species as the Woodchat Shrike, Blue Rock Thrush, Black-eared Wheatear, Pale Rock Sparrow. The mammal fauna of the IBA is not rich but quite unique. Among bats, there occur …..
Common species are the long-eared hedgehog, the southern white-breasted hedgehog, gerbils, the common vole, European water vole, European hare, wolf, jackal, fox. Onplakors at the base of the northern slopes of Narat-Tyube there occur colonies of the little souslik.