Desert · Mammal

Fennec fox

Vulpes zerda

The fennec is the smallest fox in the world. It spends the hot day in a burrow under the sand and hunts in the cool night.

Yaman scale

Drawn side by side with Yaman, to the same scale.

Shoulder height8×= 1 Yaman

It would take about 8 of them to match Yaman's height (shoulder height 20 cm).

Weight30×= 1 Yaman

It would take about 30 of them to weigh as much as Yaman.

Where does the fennec fox live?: The Sahara and North Africa. In our zoo it lives in the Desert zone.
What does the fennec fox eat?: It is a omnivore: it eats plants and meat.
How big does the fennec fox get?: Shoulder height: 20 cm. It weighs 0.7–1.6 kg.
How long does the fennec fox live?: 10–14 years in the wild.
How fast is the fennec fox?: It can reach about 40 km/h.
Is the fennec fox endangered?: On the IUCN Red List it is listed as least concern. Plenty of them in the wild.

Its ears grow up to 15 centimetres — the biggest ears for its size of any member of the dog family.
The big ears let heat escape and help it hear insects moving under the sand.
It can go a long time without drinking, getting water from its food.

Least concern. Plenty of them in the wild.

IUCN Red List