Fennec fox | Vulpes zerda

Tracks

The Fennec digs burrows in sand in which it spends the hottest hours of the day; where it occurs, these burrows and the tracks in the sand around them are the most visible evidence. No print measurements were found in the sources consulted. Surplus food is cached.

Identification

A very small, delicate fox with a fine muzzle, slender legs and very large ears of about 15 cm, darker on the back and white inside and along the edges. The coat is thick, long and soft, sandy to cream-coloured, sometimes with a fawn, reddish or grey cast, and paler below. The eyes are large and dark; a dark streak runs down and outward from the inner corner of the eye along the muzzle. The tail is well furred, with a dark tip and a dark spot over the tail gland. Dense fur on the feet covers the pads.

Similar species

Rüppell's Fox also has large ears, but is larger and longer-bodied, lacks dark markings on the back of the ears, has black whisker patches running up to the eye, a black patch at the base of the tail and usually a white tail tip. The North African Red Fox is smaller and paler than in Europe but still much larger than the Fennec, with black backs to the ears. On a photograph the small size, the very large ears and the tail without a white tip together are the quickest guide.

Habitat

Almost exclusively arid sandy areas: dunes and sand plains with desert grasses and low shrubs. In southern Morocco Fennecs were commonly seen in all sandy areas away from permanent settlements. The species can go without free water indefinitely; its moisture comes almost entirely from its food.

Distribution

The sandy deserts and semi-deserts of North Africa, from Morocco and Mauritania to Egypt and northern Sinai, and south to Niger, Chad and Sudan. Only the northern edge of the Sahara falls within the guide area; records there come mainly from southern Morocco, with others from Tunisia and Algeria.

• Native
• dark = core range, pale = thinly spread

Way of life

Mainly nocturnal, with some activity at dusk and dawn; in southern Morocco animals were regularly active in winter until mid-morning. The Fennec is an omnivore: small rodents, lizards, birds, eggs and insects, as well as fruit, leaves and roots. Mating takes place in January and February; gestation is 50 to 53 days, and a litter usually has two to four young, sometimes five or six. The species does not hibernate.

Where and when to look

In the sandy areas of southern Morocco, such as the dune fields of the Saharan edge, a search at dusk or with a torch in the first hours of the night gives the best chance. By day the burrows and the tracks in the sand are all that can be seen of the species. Fennecs shown to or sold to visitors along tourist routes are captive animals; the species is legally protected in Morocco.

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC, 2015). Total numbers are unknown; the assumption that it is not threatened rests partly on the fact that Fennecs are still regularly trapped and sold in North Africa. The main threat is that trapping, for exhibition to tourists, for the pet trade and for fur. In southern Morocco the species has disappeared around new permanent settlements. In Morocco, including Western Sahara, the Fennec is legally protected.

Scientific name

Vulpes zerda | (E. A. W. von Zimmermann, 1780)

E. A. W. von Zimmermann described the species in 1780 as Canis zerda; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. Vulpes is the Latin word for 'fox'. zerda is not Latin: it is the name classical authors gave to a small desert fox of Libya, which Zimmermann took over. It is usually referred to Greek xēros, 'dry, parched', but that is not certain. The specimen the first description was based on came from Sahara.