Fennec fox

Rare card · No. 33990

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 m2 (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...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Drew Avery, CC BY 2.0