Gioca STEMAnimals

Animals · Deserts and drylands

Fennec fox

Vulpes zerda

The smallest wild dog in the world

An adult fennec fox sits at its burrow entrance, holding its six-inch ears forward to catch sounds.
An adult fennec fox sits at its burrow entrance, holding its six-inch ears forward to catch sounds.
  • Status: Safe
  • Deserts and arid regions of inland North Africa

Numbers

Weight
2 lbabout two pounds, the lightest wild dog
Length
12 inbody, plus ten inches of tail
Height
8 inaverage height at the shoulder
Lifespan
10 yearsup to ten years in the wild
Ears
6 inhalf of its total body length
Weight
2 lbthe smallest wild dog on Earth
Tail
10 inalmost as long as the body

Ten fun facts

  1. weighing about two pounds, the fennec fox is the smallest wild dog in the world, lighter than an adult house cat.

  2. its ears can reach six inches long, which is half its body length, and help radiate excess heat away.

  3. it does not need to drink water because it gets all required moisture from prey and occasional juicy plants.

  4. the soles of its paws are covered in thick fur that protects the pads from scorching desert sand.

  5. it lives in packs of ten to twelve members and spends hot daylight hours inside deep underground burrows.

  6. after a pregnancy of fifty days, females give birth to two to five pups that drink only milk for a month.

  7. desert nomads call it a sprite because it suddenly vanishes into its burrow as soon as it feels watched.

  8. it is the only fox considered partially tameable, but its digging skills require deep ground fencing to keep it inside.

  9. in Italy, keeping one as a pet has been banned since a 1996 environmental decree regarding dangerous animals.

  10. its name comes from the Arabic word fanak meaning fox, while the scientific term zerda is Greek for dry.

The quiz answers

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

How much does an adult fennec fox weigh on average?

Question 2 of 5

What is the main purpose of a fennec fox's large ears?

Question 3 of 5

How does the fennec fox get water in the desert?

Question 4 of 5

When is the fennec fox most active?

Question 5 of 5

Why do nomads call the fennec fox a desert sprite?

Try it yourself

Experiment 1

Cut out two six-inch cardboard ears and hold them against the sides of your head. They are as large as those of an adult fennec fox.

Experiment 2

Place a two-pound bag of flour on the palm of your hand. You are now holding the exact weight of a full-grown fennec fox.

Experiment 3

Mark fifty days on your calendar starting from today. That is the time that passes between mating and the birth of tiny fennec fox pups.

Data from Wikidata (Q131564) and Wikipedia (Fennec fox).