With oversized ears, big dark eyes, and a petite frame built for desert life, the fennec fox is one of nature’s most adorable and fascinating creatures.
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But don’t let its cute appearance fool you; the fennec fox is a clever, resourceful survivor, and a skilled nighttime hunter with a personality as lively as its looks.
Where do fennec foxes live?
According to the IUCN, the fennec fox is widespread in the sandy deserts and semi-deserts of northern Africa, ranging from Western Sahara and Mauritania to northern Sinai. The species is resident in Algeria, Chad, Egypt (Egypt (African part), Sinai), Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara. Typically, the fennec fox is the only canid in large sand dune habitats.
How big are fennec foxes?
The smallest fox in the world – the fennec fox – weighs approximately 1 to 1.5kg with a head and body length of 24 to 41cm and tail length of 18 to 31cm.
What do fennec foxes look like?
These beautiful small foxes are famed for their Sandy-coloured coat, Small, pointed face, big eyes and large ears. They have a long, bushy tail with black tip and fur on bottom of their feet
Why do fennec foxes have big ears?
Fennec foxes have large ears (the largest ears relative to body size of any member of the family Canidae), which can grow up to 15cm in length. They help keep the little mammals cool by radiating body heat, enabling them to cope with living in the desert. Their ears also allow them to listen to and track prey underneath the sand.
What other adaptations do they have?
These diminutive animals are sandy-coloured, which gives them excellent camouflage. Their long, thick hair keeps them warm at night and reflects the sunlight during the day. Fennec foxes also have hairy feet, which protects their paws from the scorching ground and provides traction as they move over the sand. Their feet are also used like shovels to dig their underground dens.
How else do they cope with living in the desert?
They rely on extreme panting to regulate their body heat, raising their breathing rate from a resting 23 breaths per minute to reputedly as many as 690 after chasing prey. These mammals can also go for extended periods without drinking water, obtaining the moisture they need from the food they eat.
How fast are they?
Fennec foxes have a top speed of about 32kmph and adults can jump up to nearly 1m from standing.
What do fennec foxes eat?
These omnivores are solitary hunters that seek prey at night. Once they locate food in the sand, they will dig with all four feet to expose their meal. These canids eat insects such as grasshoppers and locusts; small rodents; lizards; birds and their eggs, and roots, fruits and leaves.
What do they do in the day?
Nocturnal fennec foxes create burrows to hide in during the day to avoid the heat.
How big are their dens?
They can dig a series of tunnels, up to 10m in length with multiple escape routes in the event of an external threat. These dens can be up to 0.91m deep and keep the foxes cool and safer from diurnal predators such as hyenas and birds of prey.
How do fennec foxes communicate?
Through a variety of vocalisations, including whimpers, barks, shrieks, squeaks, growls, howls, and chatters. Fennec foxes are territorial and will use urine and faeces to mark their terrain. They are monogamous mammals (mating for life), living in family groups of up to 10 individuals.
How often do they breed?
According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, fennec foxes usually produce one litter of pups each year, with each litter containing between two and five young. During the four to six weeks of breeding season, males often become highly aggressive and territorial. After mating, the gestation period lasts approximately 50 to 53 days.
Males protect females before and during birth and continue to support them by bringing food until the pups are around four weeks old. The pups are born with fur but are blind, opening their eyes after about eight to 11 days. They begin walking at around two weeks old, nurse for up to 10 weeks, and reach sexual maturity between nine and 11 months.
Do they face any threats?
The fennec fox is listed as Least Concern as it is relatively widespread with a stable population, but it faces local threats from habitat loss and wildlife trade. According to the IUCN, “Currently there are no major range-wide threats to the species. However, human activity is rising rapidly in many parts of the Sahara.” New settlements; road construction; development of commercial transport; and exploratory drilling and oil field developments, increase the disturbance and risk to some fennec fox populations. Locally, the species is also hunted for its fur.
What about the fennec fox trade?
“In Morocco and Tunisia, and presumably elsewhere, young foxes are sometimes captured for sale to tourists and for photographic exhibition,” reports the IUCN. The adorable appearance of the fennec fox makes it sought after for the captive pet trade, with some even being bred privately in the United States.
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