Fennec Fox

Vulpes zerda

### Regions

Morroco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan

## Habitat

### Water Area

182 m² +28 m²/ea. add'l
0 m²

### Temperature

0 m²
3‒43 ℃

## Social

### Fem. Bachelor

1‒10 (up to 6 males, up to 6 females)
1‒5
1‒5

### Sterility

1 year
8 years

### Interbirth

1 month
12 months

## Taxonomy

### Order

Mammalia
Carnivora

### Genus

Canidae
Vulpes

The **Fennec Fox** (*Vulpes zerda*) is a small African canine featured in the Africa Pack DLC for *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population in the Wild:** Unknown

The fennec fox is a small species of canid that lives in the Sahara desert. The fur of the back, head, and tail is sandy-colored, and the fur of the legs, belly, and face are white. The fennec fox´s most distinctive feature is its extremely large pointed ears. The fennec fox is very small, measuring 7,2in to 8,8in tall at the shoulder with a head-body length of 13in to 16in. Their tail is up to 10in long and their ears measure between 1,76lb and 4,18lb. Males are slightly larger than females. The fennec fox is not considered an endangered species and their population size is unknown but thought to be numerous.

### Social

Fennec foxes are very social animals that live in family packs. In an average pack, there is an alpha male and alpha female, their young adult offspring a litter of pups less than a year old.

### Reproduction

In a fox pack, there is an alpha male and an alpha female and their 1st and 2nd generation offspring. Packs are familiar. The alphas are monogamous and do not mate with any other individuals. As the female is approaching oestrus, the alpha male and female will bond. The female fox will have 6 to 8 fertile days in the breeding season. The hormonal changes and smell of her urine will alert the alpha male to her receptive state. The alphas will mate multiple times during this period. The male fennec fox will become aggressive and extremely defensive of the female and their den after mating.

Alphas will have one litter per year. On average, they will have a litter of 2 to 4 pups although may have up to 6. Pups weigh approximately 50g at birth. After giving birth, the female will remain in the den with her pups for 2 weeks, relying on the male to bring her food. She will make trips out of the den when the pups are 2 to 5 weeks old, returning frequently to feed them.

Pups leave the den for the first time at 5 weeks and steadily gain independence. They are weaned by 2 to 3 months old and fully indepedent by 6 months old. Young foxes stay with their parental pack until they are between 1 and 2 years old. Young foxes leave their pack when they reach sexual maturity or when competition for food within the pack becomes too high. They may live alone or in sibling groups for a time. Lone foxes may partner up with another lone fox of the opposite sex and search for territory. Once located, these two foxes will start their own pack and become the alpha male and alpha female

## Animal care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Bamboo Feeder · Skittle Feeder
Small Bubble Machine · Sprinkler · Blood Scent Marker · Tennis Ball · Tunnel · Curio Ball

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

* The fennec fox is the smallest canid species.
* Fennec foxes are highly vocal and will chatter, whimper, wail, growl and shriek to communicate with their pack mates.
* The fennec fox has very large ears that dissipate heat and are able to hear prey underground
* The paw pads of the fennec fox are covered in thick fur to allow them to walk on the hot sand of the Sahara desert.
* Like many desert dwelling animals, the fennec fox does not rely on acess to water sources. Instead they can subsist on dew and the water contained in their food
* The Fennec Fox is the national animal of Algeria