Canids And Hyaenids Codexery

Fennec fox

Smallest fox species with large ears adapted to desert life.

Last updated

The fennec fox is the smallest canid species, with sand-colored fur, a black nose, and a tapering tail with a black tip.[1][2] Among all canids, the fennec fox possesses the largest ear-to-body ratio, and its paw pads are thickly furred to aid movement across hot sand.[3]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. InfraclassPlacentalia
  4. OrderCarnivora
  5. FamilyCanidae
  6. GenusVulpes
  7. SpeciesVulpes zerda

Named by (Zimmermann, 1780)

Close relatives

Other species of Vulpes with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Fennec fox (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2015

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

Where the fennec fox has been recorded

Where the fennec fox has been recorded4 mapped locations from 492 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (492 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 104 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)

Key facts and history

Eberhardt Zimmermann scientifically described the fennec fox as Canis zerda in 1780.[4] The fennec fox is bred commercially as an exotic pet, and commercial breeders remove pups from their mother to hand-raise them.[5] Gordon Barclay Corbet gave the fennec fox its present scientific designation, Vulpes zerda, in 1978.[6] The fennec fox belongs to the family Canidae and is one of 13 living species within the genus Vulpes.[7]

DNA analysis indicates that the fennec fox's nearest extant relative is Blanford's fox.[8] Algeria has designated the fennec fox as its national animal, and the country's national football team is nicknamed "Les Fennecs".[9] In 2015, the IUCN Red List categorized the fennec fox as least concern, and it appears on CITES Appendix II.[10]

What the cited sources add

The Animal Diversity Web account notes that fennecs are the smallest of the canids, standing 18 to 22 cm at the shoulder.[11] The same source states that fennecs are highly social animals, living together in family groups which may contain up to 10 individuals.[11] The Animal Diversity Web also reports that fennecs are vigorous defenders of both territory and pups.[11] The Dictionary.com entry defines the fennec as a small, pale yellowish-brown fox of northern Africa with large, pointed ears.[12]

An AramcoWorld article describes the fennec fox as the quintessential Amazigh symbol of the desert.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan", IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group, 2004, p. 205–209 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zimmermann, E.A.W., "Geographische Geschichte des Menschen, und der allgemein verbreiteten vierfüßigen Thiere", Weygand, 1780, p. 247–248 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan", IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group, 2004, p. 205–209; L. Rocha, "North African fox genomes show signatures of repeated introgression and adaptation to life in deserts", Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2023-06-12, p. 1267–1286; Carbyn, "The Swift Fox: Ecology and Conservation of Swift Foxes in a Changing World", University of Regina Press, 2003, p. 223–229 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zimmermann, E. A. W. 1780. Geographische Geschichte des Menschen, und der vierfussigen Thiere. Weygandschen Buchhandlung, Leipzig, Germany 2:1-432.; ; Larivière, "Vulpes zerda", Mammalian Species, 2002-12-26, p. 1–5; Gmelin, J. F. 1788. Revision of 'Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis synonymis, ; Meyer, F. A. A. 1793. Systematisch-summarische Uebersicht der neuesten zoologischen Entdeckungen in Neuholland und Africa. Zoologische Annelen (Weimar) 1:xxvi-4 (origin en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mammals of Africa", Bloomsbury, 2013, p. 74–77 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Corbet, G. B. 1978. The mammals of the Palaearctic region, a taxonomic review. British Museum of Natural History and Cornell University Press, London.; Larivière, "Vulpes zerda", Mammalian Species, 2002-12-26, p. 1–5; Castelló, "Canids of the World: Wolves, Wild Dogs, Foxes, Jackals, Coyotes, and Their Relatives", Princeton University Press, 2018-09-11, p. 172, 205 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Castelló, "Canids of the World: Wolves, Wild Dogs, Foxes, Jackals, Coyotes, and Their Relatives", Princeton University Press, 2018-09-11, p. 172, 205 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Henry, "Red Fox: The Catlike Canine", Smithsonian Institution, 2013-04-09; "Fennec", Dictionary.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hodges, "National Animals of African Countries", 2012; Fifa, "Paris salutes Les Fennecs", Fifa, 2009; "The Amazigh Adventures of Le Petit Prince", www.aramcoworld.com, 2017-11-01; Dobrin, "Wild Things: Children's Culture and Ecocriticism", Wayne State University Press, 2004, p. 168 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Fennec fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wacher, T., "Vulpes zerda", 2015; Wacher, T., "Vulpes zerda", 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. "Vulpes zerda (Fennec)", Animal Diversity Web. facts only, no text reused. animaldiversity.org
  12. "Fennec", Dictionary.com. facts only, no text reused. dictionary.com
  13. "The Amazigh Adventures of Le Petit Prince", www.aramcoworld.com, 2017-11-01. facts only, no text reused. aramcoworld.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Fennec fox (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Canidae)

Bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotisBlack-backed jackal Lupulella mesomelasBush dog Speothos venaticus

Named in this entry

North Africa

Also in the Codexery

Fennec fox · Carnivores And Insectivores

More in Canids And Hyaenids

Golden jackalGray foxHyaenodonIsland foxRed foxSide-striped jackalCoywolfDholeManed wolfRaccoon dogAfrican wild dogCoyote

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. To which biological family does the fennec fox belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Canidae.

2. In what year was the fennec fox first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1780.

3. To which genus does the fennec fox belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Vulpes.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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