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Fennec - VULPES ZERDA
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Fennec": "Fennec" comes from the Arabic word "fenek," meaning "fox."
Location: Northern Africa and the Middle East.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Desert, especially in areas and where there are dunes.
Description: One of the smallest of the foxes, the fennec has adapted to life in the desert. It has huge, triangular ears. Its tiny body is pale beige with a very soft coat. The soles of the feet are completely covered with long hair to enable it to walk on sand. The base of the tail is almost white, but the tip is dark brown. The head and body are about 16 inches long, with the tail adding another 12 inches. The fennec usually weighs less than three pounds.
Behavior: This sociable fox lives in small groups of 10 to 15 individuals. It is nocturnal, and spends the day in a den dug in the sand, which often consists of several chambers. It feeds on insects and small lizards, and sometimes eats plants. It can go for a long time without drinking. It can dig at great speed to capture prey or to escape from an enemy.
Reproduction: After a gestation period of about 50 days the female gives birth to between two and five cubs in March or April.
Go to the Carnivore Page to learn more about all the meat-eating animals.
Or go to the Fox Index to study other
foxes.
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