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Fully vaccinated visitors do not need to wear a mask in outdoor areas. Small Mammal House. Fennec fox. Fennec fox - Animals Animals A-Z Fennec fox. Share this page:. Fact sheet Conservation Meet the Animals Physical Description Their coats are long, soft, and thick and range in color from reddish cream to light fawn to almost white.
Size The smallest of all canids, fennec foxes are 14 to 16 inches Communication Fennec foxes are territorial, and mark their terrain with urine and feces. Social Structure Monogamous animals, fennec foxes can live in family groups of up to ten individuals. Reproduction and Development Fennec foxes typically give birth to one litter of pups per year, with between two and five young in a litter.
Pups are not weaned until they are about 2 months old. They reach maturity after about nine months. Though they grow up quickly, the San Diego Zoo says fennec foxes can live 10 years in the wild and 13 years in captivity. Not only do they generally have flourishing family lives, they also tend to hang out in large and tight-knit social circles. Fennec fox behavior is known mainly through what has been observed in captivity, but they look to be highly social animals, enjoying the company of other foxes and engaging in play even as adults.
Fennec foxes live in groups of as many as 10 individuals, though the size of the group is mostly determined by the amount of food resources available in a territory. Both young and adult fennec foxes use an array of vocalizations — including barks, chatters, growls, brief and repeated howls, shrieks, squeaks, and whimpers — to communicate with each other, such as to establish social rank during play.
The fennec fox is so well-adapted to desert life that it can live without free-standing water for long periods of time. Instead, it stays hydrated in the Sahara heat just by eating leaves, roots, and fruits — these, together, make up nearly percent of the fox's water intake.
It also eats grasshoppers, locusts, small rodents, lizards, birds, and their eggs. The big-eared V. Like so many desert-dwelling animals, fennec foxes are nocturnal. Spending the hottest part of the day snoozing in their cool, underground burrows keeps them out of the heat, though being a night prowler has its own challenges for staying warm on cold nights and, of course, locating prey in the dark.
A thick buff pelage covers adults, with white along the legs, face, ears and ventrum, in contrast to downy white juveniles. The violet supracaudal scent gland, common to all vulpines, is covered in black or dark brown fur, as well as the tail tip. The eyes, rhinal pad, and vibrissae are all black. Fennec foxes, like other canids, are omnivores. They commonly hunt and forage for birds, small mammals, reptiles, eggs, carrion, insects, other terrestrial arthropods, leaves, roots, tubers, and fruit.
In addition to foraging they commonly cache food. Fennecs obtain much of their food through digging. Free-ranging fennecs can go without water indefinitely, however fruit, leaves, and roots serve as the sole source of moisture. In captivity, an exotic canine diet e. Mazuri , high-quality dry or canned dog, or cat food is fed. Vegetables, fruits, pinkie mice, rodents, eggs, crickets, mealworms, as well as commercially available raw meat diets are also offered. Fennec foxes are adept climbers and can easily escape fenced enclosures.
Fennecs should be kenneled while unsupervised; large ferret or cat cages can be suitable. These desert dwellers require low humidity, and good ventilation. Avoid dusty cage substrates. Fennecs practice site-specific defecation in marking their territories and can thus be litter box trained in a captive environment. Standard clay litter is recommended. Fennecs can be leash or harness trained, but may be prone to slip out of restraint when startled. Therefore a leash or harness is recommended only for a confined, safe space.
Fennec foxes allow their body temperature to rise to Panting rates up to breaths per minute have been observed. Although fennec foxes will drink freely when given the opportunity, laboratory studies suggest that free-ranging fennecs can survive indefinitely without access to free water. Reproduction Like all foxes, fennecs have three pairs of mammary glands. The breeding season runs from January to February, but vixens remain in estrus for only days. The young weigh around 50 grams and have grey skin at birth.
The males are kept away from the maternal den until the young are older. The young suckle their mothers milk for about 4 — 5 weeks. The life span of the Fennec Fox is up to 12 years. It is not threatened with extinction and cause no harm to human interest, unlike other foxes. It is, however, hunted for its fur by people of the Sahara and Sinai and, like many other animals, they also suffer from habitat loss. Image Source. More Fascinating Animals to Learn About. Peruvian Fox.
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