Fennec fox
a small crepuscular fox native to Saharan Africa / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is a small fox that lives in sandy deserts. It lives in the Sahara (in northern Africa) and the northern part of Saudi Arabia. Foxes are in the family Canidae.[1] Canidae also includes dogs, wolves, and coyotes.[1]
Fennec fox | |
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A fennec fox to Wilhelma Zoo, Germany | |
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Species: | V. zerda |
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Vulpes zerda (Zimmermann, 1780) | |
Natural range shown in red |
This fox is agile. It has huge ears and very large eyes. The large ears help the fox lose excess heat. They also help it hear its prey from a long distance away. The fennec fox has hairy feet that protect it from the hot sand.
The fennec fox is nocturnal (most active at night). It rests during the day in a burrow in the sand. It lives in groups of up to 10 animals. It marks its territory with urine. Its life span is 10 to 12 years in the wild, and 10-14 years in captivity.
Fennec foxes can reproduce at the age of about 9 months.