Fennec Fox

First up there is a new post  over here:

http://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/12/goodbye-2024.html

Hi everyone, how many of you have heard of the fennec fox?

I had noy heard of it till I was researching foxes for these posts. 

The fennec fox 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, standing about 20cms or 8 inches tall and weighing up to 1.3kgs or 3 pounds.

In the wild, fennec foxes eat insects—particularly grasshoppers and locusts—as well as small rodents, lizards, birds and their eggs. They will also consume roots, fruits and leaves, which help them to hydrate.

In captivity should consist of a mix of meat and vegetables, and include supplements to ensure they get enough taurine, they should be eating 90% meat and insects, such as waxworms, morioworms, locusts and such. The meat should be low in retinol (vitamin A) and contain enough calcium and taurine. 

The other 10% should be vegetables and fruit, such as diced melons, berries, and leafy greens. Avoid fruits and vegetables that are high in carbohydrates or belong to the nightshade family, such as tomatoes and aubergines.

They can live up to 14 years in captivity and about 10 years in the wild. 

They typically give birth to one litter of pups per year, with between two and five young in a litter.

The female does not allow the male to interact with the kits until they are 5 to 6 weeks old. Parent-raised offspring are weaned by 8 to 10 weeks of age. Carrying, grooming, and nursing of the young continue until this time. Wild fennec foxes stay with their family until they are at least 1 year old.

In general, male fennec foxes tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females.

The primary threat to fennec foxes is human interference. They are commonly trapped for exhibition or sale to tourists, and there have been limited instances of human settlements encroaching on fennec populations. Native populations in the Sahara region also hunt fennec foxes. They are preyed upon by the Pharaoh eagle-owl; both adults and pups may possibly fall prey to jackals and striped hyenas.

They are currently listed as a species of least concern, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. While there are no major threats to the desert-dwelling wild populations, habitat loss still occurs in their native range.