🦊Fennec fox

Vulpes zerda (Zimmermann, 1780)

耳廓狐（学名：Vulpes zerda）也称耳郭狐、𦗒（guō）狐、大耳小狐、大耳狐与沙漠小狐，是一种分布于北非撒哈拉的小型夜行狐，以其不同寻常的大耳朵而闻名。其英文名Fennec来自于阿拉伯语狐狸一词；其种名zerda出自希腊语单词ξηρός（xērós），意为“干燥”，是对其栖息地的描述。耳廓狐是最小的犬科动物，其皮毛、耳和肾功能都适应了高温缺水的沙漠环境。另外其听力十分敏锐，足以感觉到地下猎物活动。为濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约附录II所列的保护动物。耳廓狐在野外可以存活大概10年，其主要天敌包括狞猫和非洲种的雕鸮。耳廓狐群会在沙中挖掘大约120平方米的洞穴以防护与居住，这些洞穴甚至会与其他耳廓狐群洞穴相连。目前无法精确测出耳廓狐种群数目，但由目击估计该物种尚未面临灭绝威胁。虽然常被分类为狐属，耳廓狐的分类尚有争议。北非原住民认为耳廓狐的皮毛是珍贵的，世界其他地方则认为耳廓狐是一种有异国情调的宠物。

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Measurements

vs you

≈ 1/51st of your weight

Also called

Vulpes zerda, Fennec

Conservation status

LCLeast concern

IUCN Red List assessment, 2015.

Population trendStable

Key measurements

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

All measurements ↓

Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Fennec fox

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass

1.21 kg

COMBINE

Other figures ↓

Source: COMBINE · v1 (Soria et al. 2021) · CC BY 4.0

Figures vary

1.25 kgAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable

Body length

0.39 m

COMBINE

Details ↓

Source: COMBINE · v1 (Soria et al. 2021) · CC BY 4.0

Shoulder height

0.2 m0.18–0.22 m · typical rangenot stated

Details ↓

"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/ · see citation

Brain mass

18 g

COMBINE

Details ↓

Source: COMBINE · v1 (Soria et al. 2021) · CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan

16 years

COMBINE

Other figures ↓

Source: COMBINE · v1 (Soria et al. 2021) · CC BY 4.0