Vulpes zerda

Also known as Fennecus zerda, fennec, fennec fox

a small crepuscular fox native to Saharan Africa

AI overview

The fennec fox is a tiny fox species that lives in the Sahara Desert and is most active during twilight hours and at night. It's notable as one of the smallest fox species and has adapted uniquely to desert life, making it an important example of how animals evolve to survive in extreme environments.

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

Species

Least Concern

Fennec Fox

Vulpes zerda

SPECIES

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderCarnivora
FamilyCanidae

Observations630

Observations recorded844

關於与「耳廓狐」名称相近或相同的条目，請見「Fennec」。注意：本页面含有Unihan扩展B区用字：「𦗒」。有关字符可能會错误显示，詳见Unicode扩展汉字。二名法 Vulpes zerda(Zimmermann, 1780) 耳廓狐分布耳廓狐（学名：Vulpes zerda）也称耳郭狐、𦗒狐、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[2]，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。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。目录 1 描述 1.1 社会行为 1.2 打猎与食物 2 繁殖 3 栖息地 3.1 种群数目 3.2 天敌 4 分类 5 宠物饲养 6 人类文化 7 名称 8 脚注 9 外部链接描述耳廓狐的叫声播放此文件有问题？请参见媒體幫助。耳廓狐重0.68–1.6 千克，身长24–40厘米，肩高约20.3厘米[3]，是最小的犬科动物[2]。尾部有一个黑色的尖端，长度约为身长的四分之三。其耳部长10–15厘米。其英文名Fennec来自于阿拉伯语词fenek，意为狐狸。耳廓狐的种名zerda来自于希腊语xeros，代表干燥，表示了其栖息地的环境[4][5]。耳廓狐的皮毛常常是松软的并带有奶油色，可以在昼间反射热量并在夜间保温[3] 。其耳朵占身长的比例是同属生物中最大的[3]，能够通过靠近皮肤的血管散热[6]。耳廓狐的听觉极其敏感，可以听到地下猎物的活动[7] 。其脚底被皮毛保护以避免被热的沙子伤害[3]。社会行为 1876年对阔耳狐的素描对于耳廓狐社会行为的了解主要基于圈养动物。基本社会单元是一对父母和它们的后代。一般认为过去一年的子代会留在家庭中直到新的幼狐出生。包括成年耳廓狐在内通常会玩耍。[8] 圈养动物体现了高度的社会行为，通常表现为互相的接触。雄性更多表现出侵略性并用尿在雌性发情周期时标记。在圈养时观察到它们会用后足和鼻子掩埋粪便。耳廓狐在野外仍有很多未知的行为，国际自然保护联盟在2004年做出报告说：“到目前为止对这个物种野生种群数目动态和栖息地的特定行为的深度研究是仍然空缺的”[9][8] 打猎与食物耳廓狐是一种夜行杂食动物，食物包括啮齿动物，昆虫

via GBIF · IUCN

Wikidata facts

Image: Fennec Fox Family.jpg

Show 8 more facts

Commons category: Vulpes zerda
taxon name: Vulpes zerda
Commons gallery: Vulpes zerda
taxon common name: Wüstenfuchs
gestation period: 50
litter size: 3.5
longest observed lifespan: 16.3
short name: V. zerda

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~14 min read

Article

The fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) 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.

The fennec fox mainly eats insects, small mammals and birds. It has a life span of up to 14 years in captivity and about 10 years in the wild. Pups are preyed upon by the Pharaoh eagle-owl; both adults and pups may fall prey to jackals and striped hyenas. Fennec families dig out burrows in the sand for habitation and protection, which can be as large as 120 m (1,300 sq ft) and adjoin the burrows of other families. Precise population figures are not known but are estimated from the frequency of sightings; these indicate that the fennec fox is currently not threatened by extinction. Knowledge of social interactions is limited to information gathered from captive animals. The fennec fox is commonly trapped for exhibition or sale in North Africa, and it is considered an exotic pet in some parts of the world.