π¦Fennec fox
The fennec fox is a small fox native to the deserts of North Africa, ranging from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula. Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat and listen for underground prey. The fennec is the smallest fox species. Its coat, ears, and kidney functions have adapted to the desert environment with high temperatures and little water.
Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
IUCN Red List assessment, 2015.
- Body mass
- 1.21 kg
- Body length
- 0.39 m
- Shoulder height
- 0.2 m
- Top speed
- not recorded
- Bite force
- not recorded
- Maximum lifespan
- 16 years
Everything we know about the Fennec fox
Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.
Body mass1.21 kgCOMBINEOther figures βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 1.25 kgAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Body length0.39 mCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Shoulder height0.2 m0.18β0.22 m Β· typical rangenot statedDetails βHide β
"Standing 18 to 22 cm at the shoulder, fennecs are significantly shorter than other African foxes, which average a shoulder height of 30 cm." Range-only; value is the midpoint.
Source: Adams 2004, Animal Diversity Web account: Vulpes zerda, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vulpes_zerda/ Β· see citation
Brain mass18 gCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Maximum lifespan16 yearsCOMBINEOther figures βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 16 yearsAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Generation length5.14 yearsCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Age at maturity294 daysCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Gestation51 daysCOMBINEOther figures βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 51 daysAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Litter sizeabout 2COMBINEOther figures βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 2.2AnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Trophic levelOmnivoreCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Activity cycleNocturnalCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Volume l1.2 LaverageDetails βHide β
Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.
average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.
Not recorded for Fennec fox yet: top speed, bite force.
Family tree
- kingdomAnimalia
- βΊphylumChordata
- βΊclassMammalia
- βΊorderCarnivora
- βΊfamilyCanidae
- βΊgenusVulpes
- βΊspeciesVulpes zerda
- classMammals Β· Mammalia
- orderCarnivorans Β· Carnivora
- suborderCaniformia
- familyCanidae
All 13 branches βFewer branches β
- kingdomMetazoa
- phylumChordata
- subphylumCraniata
- subphylumVertebrata
- superclassGnathostomata
- superclassSarcopterygii
- superclassTetrapoda
- classMammals Β· Mammalia
- subclassTheria
- superorderLaurasiatheria
- orderCarnivorans Β· Carnivora
- suborderCaniformia
- familyCanidae
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