Thursday, August 06, 2015

The Moroccan Fennec - The Smallest Fox


Rarely seen, the fennec fox or fennec (Vulpes zerda) is a small nocturnal fox found in the Moroccan Sahara. Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which apart from hearing, also serve to dissipate heat

The fennec is usually nocturnal, but sometimes moves during the day in very hot weather

Its name comes from the Arabic word فنك (fanak), which means fox, and the species name zerda comes from the Greek word xeros which means dry, referring to the fox's habitat.

The fennec is the smallest species of canid in the world. Its coat, ears, and kidney functions have adapted to high-temperature, low-water, desert environments. In addition, its hearing is sensitive enough to hear prey moving underground. It mainly eats insects, small mammals, and birds.


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