Fennec fox
Fennec fox | |
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Fennec fox in the Moroccan Sahara | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Infraorder: | Cynoidea |
Family: | Canidae |
Subfamily: | Caninae |
Tribe: | Vulpini |
Genus: | Vulpes |
Species: | V. zerda
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Binomial name | |
Vulpes zerda (Zimmermann, 1780)
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Fennec range |
The fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is a small crepuscular fox native to the deserts of North Africa, ranging from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula.[1] Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat and listen for underground prey. The fennec is the smallest fox species. Its coat, ears, and kidney functions have adapted to the desert environment with high temperatures and little water. It mainly eats insects, small mammals and birds. The fennec has a life span of up to 14 years in captivity and about 10 years in the wild. Its main predators are the Verreaux's eagle-owl, jackals and other large mammals. Fennec families dig out burrows in the sand for habitation and protection, which can be as large as 120 m2 (1,300 sq ft) and adjoin the burrows of other families. Precise population figures are not known but are estimated from the frequency of sightings; these indicate that the fennec is currently not threatened by extinction. Knowledge of social interactions is limited to information gathered from captive animals. The fennec's fur is prized by the indigenous peoples of North Africa, and it is considered an exotic pet in some parts of the world.
Its name comes from the species'
Description
The fennec fox has sand-colored fur which reflects sunlight during the day and helps keep it warm at night. Its nose is black and its tapering tail has a black tip. Its long ears have longitudinal reddish stripes on the back and are so densely haired inside that the
The fennec fox is the smallest canid species. Females range in head-to-body size from 34.5 to 39.5 cm (13.6 to 15.6 in) with a 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) long tail and 9–9.5 cm (3.5–3.7 in) long ears, and weigh 1–1.9 kg (2.2–4.2 lb). Males are slightly larger, ranging in head-to-body size from 39 to 39.5 cm (15.4 to 15.6 in) with a 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) long tail and 10 cm (3.9 in) long ears, weighing at least 1.3 kg (2.9 lb).[4]
Distribution and habitat
The fennec fox is distributed throughout the Sahara, from
Behaviour and ecology
Fennec foxes are primarily nocturnal, displaying heightened activity during the cooler nighttime hours.
Captive individuals reside in family groups consisting of several members. Fennec foxes exhibit playful behavior, especially among younger individuals.[8]
Hunting and diet
The fennec fox is omnivorous, feeding on small
In the Algerian Sahara, 114 scat samples were collected that contained more than 400 insects, plant fragments and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruits, remains of birds, mammals, squamata and insects.[11]
Reproduction
Fennec foxes mate for life.
Diseases
Captive fennec foxes are susceptible to
Predators
African horned owl species such as the Pharaoh eagle-owl prey on fennec fox pups. Anecdotal reports exist about caracals, jackals, and striped hyenas also preying on the fennec fox. But according to nomads, the fennec fox is fast and changes directions so well that even their Salukis are hardly ever able to capture it.[4]
Threats
In North Africa, the fennec fox is commonly trapped for exhibition or sale to tourists. Expansion of permanent human settlements in southern Morocco caused its disappearance in these areas and restricted it to marginal areas.[1]
Conservation
As of 2015, the fennec fox is classified as
In captivity
The fennec fox is bred commercially as an exotic pet.[10] Commercial breeders remove the pups from their mother to hand-raise them, as tame foxes are more valuable. A breeders' registry has been set up in the United States to avoid any problems associated with inbreeding.[21]
In culture
The fennec fox is the national animal of Algeria.[22] It also serves as the nickname for the Algeria national football team "Les Fennecs".[23]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "fennec". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Zimmermann, E.A.W. (1780). "Der Zerda". Geographische Geschichte des Menschen, und der allgemein verbreiteten vierfüßigen Thiere. Vol. II. Enthält ein vollständiges Verzeichniß aller bekannten Quadrupeden. Leipzig: Weygand. pp. 247–248.
- ^ ISBN 2-8317-0786-2.
- S2CID 91615641.
- .
- .
- .
- ^ "Vulpes zerda (Fennec)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4081-8994-8.
- S2CID 86211731.
- ^ .
- ^ a b Gauthier-Pilters, H. (1967). "The Fennec". African Wildlife. 21: 117–125.
- ^ a b Saint Girons, M. C. (1962). "Notes sur les dates de reproduction en captivite du fennec, Fennecus zerda (Zimmerman, 1780)" (PDF). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde (in French). 27: 181–184.
- S2CID 51812228.
- ^ Petter, F. (1957). "La reproduction du fennec". Mammalia. 21: 307–309.
- ^ .
- ^ Sowards, R. K. (1981). "Observation on breeding and rearing the fennec fox (Fennecus zerda) in captivity". Animal Keepers' Forum. 8: 175–177.
- S2CID 84068292.
- PMID 20299771.
- ISBN 978-0-313-33987-5.
- ^ Hodges, K. (2012). "National Animals of African Countries". Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- ^ Fifa (2009). "Paris salutes Les Fennecs". Fifa. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010.
External links
- Data related to Fennec fox at Wikispecies
- Media related to Vulpes zerda at Wikimedia Commons