Beastfile · Mammals
Fennec Fox
Vulpes zerda
The smallest fox alive, built almost entirely around its ears.
Overview
The fennec is the smallest fox in the world, usually well under two kilograms, and it carries ears that would look excessive on an animal five times the size. Those ears are not mainly for hearing, though the hearing is excellent. They are radiators: a large surface area threaded with blood vessels that sheds heat into the air, which is how a small mammal survives a Saharan afternoon. It spends the heat of the day underground in burrows dug into sand, emerges at night, and can go long stretches without drinking, taking most of its water from food.
Origin
The Sahara and the arid belt across North Africa, east into the Sinai and Arabian deserts, in sandy country stable enough to hold a burrow.
Habitat
DesertNotable Traits
- •Ears up to around 15 centimetres, used to shed body heat
- •Thick fur on the soles of the feet for walking on hot sand
- •Can survive long periods without drinking free water
- •Nocturnal, sheltering in sand burrows through the day
- •Unusually social for a fox, living in small family groups
Conservation
Least Concern. The population is not considered broadly threatened, though the species is trapped for the exotic pet trade and for sale to tourists in parts of its range.