Friday 24 July 2015

NEW THEME!!

Edit: I decided to discontinue this theme, since it is too difficult to keep up with. Sorry. I'll still try to post as often as I can though.

I have decided to add a new theme to my blog. I will be posting different topics each day of the week. There is Make it Yourself Monday, Travel Tuesday, Wednesday Wish List, Thursday Baking Tips, Furry Friday, Sporty Saturday and Sunday Snaps.

Today is Furry Friday, so I will be telling you some interesting facts about this week’s animal, which is the fennec fox.

A fennec fox is the smallest fox in the world, which lives in the dry Sahara in North Africa. They are well known for their distinctively large ears, 6 inches long, and cute appearance. They may seem cute and cuddly, but are not house pets; despite this many are caught and sold in the captive pet trade.  Locals also hunt them for their fur. This further contributes to their population decline in the wild, making these mammals endangered. However, they are listed as least concern, since there are no immediate threats towards their habitat.

Fennec foxes are specially adapted to their surroundings. They have large ears, where they can release the most heat, keeping them cool throughout the harsh heat of the day. Another adaptation is their thick fur, which keeps them warm, during cold nights and protects them from the sun. Fennec foxes even have hair on their feet to protect their paws from scorching sands. The fur is a light beige colour for camouflage in their environment.  Fennec foxes are more active during the night, when temperatures are cooler. This is known as being nocturnal.

In the wild fennec foxes weigh around 2-3 pounds and grow from 8-16 inches long. In captivity they can grow slightly more and live longer. Usually, these foxes live up to 10 years, and 14 years in zoos. Their diet differs from what it would be in the wild too. In the wild they would eat plants, leaves, fruits, roots, eggs, insects, rodents and small reptiles, while in captivity they consume fruit, vegetables, insects and meat. This diet may be less varied, but they are mostly like to be fed more food in zoos, as food may be scarce in the hot Sahara.

A fennec fox will dig an underground to live in with at least 10 other individuals. During mating season, January to February, male foxes become aggressive and more territorial, and once they have found a partner they will mate for life. This is called being monogamous. Cubs are born between March and April in litters of 2 to 4.  Here is a photo of baby fennec fox cubs. 
Photo credit to ZooBorns.




2 comments:

  1. I was raised by fennec foxes... My own version of the jungle book

    ReplyDelete