Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Cutest Mammal Around: The Fennec Fox

The Fennec Fox is a small nocturnal fox found in the north of the Sahara Desert of North Africa which has distinctively large ears.

Its name comes from the Arabic fenek, a term for various fur-bearing animals. The coats are often a sandy color, allowing them to blend with their desert surroundings.

Its characteristic ears serve to dissipate heat and to hear the movement of prey at night.The fennec is the smallest species of canid in the world; coat, ears and kidney functions have adapted to a high-temperature, low-water, desert environment.

In addition, its hearing is sensitive enough to hear prey moving underground. It mainly eats insects, small mammals, and birds.

The fennec has a life span of up to 14 years in captivity. Its main predators are the African varieties of eagle owl. Families of fennecs dig out dens in sand for habitation and protection, which can be as large as 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft) and adjoin the dens of other families. Precise population figures are not known but are estimated from the frequency of sightings; these indicate that the animal is currently not threatened by extinction.

Knowledge of social interactions is limited to information gathered from captive animals. The species is usually assigned to the genus Vulpes; however, this is debated due to differences between the fennec fox and other fox species. The fennec's fur is prized by the indigenous peoples of North Africa, and in some parts of the world, the animal is considered an exotic pet.



not to be mean but they are not pets... they are wild animals and should not be harm....WHY do you people keep making these beautiful creature extinct in our world ...... >: | -- FB Comments --

0 comments:

Post a Comment