EntityQ373558· pop 55· linked from 568 articles

Culpeo

The culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus), also known as Culpeo zorro, Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, Andean wolf, and colpeo fox, is a species of South American fox. Despite the name, it is not a true fox, but more closely related to wolves and jackals. Its appearance resembles that of foxes due to convergent evolution.

AI overview

The culpeo is a South American wild canine that resembles a fox but is actually more closely related to wolves and jackals, a similarity that developed through convergent evolution rather than direct ancestry. Understanding the culpeo matters because it demonstrates how different animal species can evolve similar appearances despite being distantly related, and it represents an important part of South American wildlife that deserves accurate scientific classification.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Parent taxon: South American fox
Image: Culpeo MC.jpg

Show 3 more facts

P105: species
P141: Least Concern
P9714: Peru

via Wikidata · CC0

Article

12 sections

Contents

Description
Range
Habitat
Diet
Reproduction
Classification
Subspecies
Taxonomy
Domestication
Gallery
References
Further reading

The culpeo's diet consists largely of rodents, rabbits, birds and lizards, and to a lesser extent, plant material and carrion. They may prey on Andean flamingos and baby vicuña. The culpeo sometimes attacks farm animals, among them sheep, goats and poultry; for this, it is hunted in rural Chile and Argentina. In some regions, it has become rare, but overall the species is not threatened with extinction.