Fennec Foxes

Alex Re

Hello, welcome to on wildlife. I'm your host, Alex Re, on this podcast, we bring the wild to you, we take you on a journey into the life of a different animal every week. And I guarantee you, you're gonna come out of here knowing more about your favorite animal than you did before. This episode is going to be really cool, because you may not have heard of the animal that I'm going to talk about today. So get your shovels ready, because we're heading underground in the deserts of Africa to talk about Fennec foxes.

Unknown Speaker

Boxes belong to the canine family along with wolves, dogs and other foxes. It's the smallest species in the canine family as well. Adults are only around 12 inches and weigh a little under four pounds. But they do have one thing going for them in the size category, their ears. They have the largest ears compared to their body size in the canine family, and their ears can get to be around six inches long. The size of their ears is very important when it comes to hunting, but we'll talk about that later on in the podcast. Male Fennec foxes are called raynauds and females are called vixens. And they can be found in the deserts of Africa. Because of their small size, they have some predators, probably some of the most common being owls and jackals. They also have reddish white furred, that's pretty thick, and the color of the fur helps them blend in really well with their environment. And the thickness of their fur is important for keeping them warm at night. Even though the deserts are really hot, it can get extremely cold at night. And not only that, but it can also protect them from the sun's radiation during the day, so no need for sunscreen. And their tails are also covered in fur and they're pretty long. And when they curl up into a ball, their tails can help them keep warm. Fennec foxes can live for around 10 years in the wild, which is actually pretty long compared to other foxes. For instance, the red fox usually only lives for about five years. And it's believed that foxes have been on earth for around 3 million years. But even though you may not have heard of Fennec foxes, they're actually pretty popular. Mozilla Firefox is mobile project was named fenech. And also Fennec foxes are the national animal of Algeria. And they're omnivores, meaning that they eat both plants and animals. They can eat reptiles, rodents, insects, and different types of plants. But they're opportunistic eaters. So they'll eat whatever they can find. And they're nocturnal, so they're usually only out hunting during the night. And their large ears give them some amazing hearing. So they can really hone in on where their prey is, as well as keeping a close ear out for predators. The things that they usually eat live under the sand, so they're really able to pick up the slightest movement of sand with their great hearing. And when they hear their prey, they start to dig quickly until they find what they're looking for. And like a lot of other foxes, they can use this stock spring pounce method of hunting, where they hear their prey, jump into the air and dive into the ground to pounce on their meal. Also, because food can be hard to come by, Fennec foxes oftentimes stash their food in different locations, and they can remember where it is for a really long time. Okay, we're going to take our first break, and when we get back, I'm going to start talking about how Fennec foxes are able to maintain their body temperature. Let's see if you can get today's trivia question. How many chromosomes does a potato have? A 18? b 28, c 38, or d 48? The answer is D 48. chromosomes. Humans only have 46 chromosomes.

Unknown Speaker

Okay, we're back. Because the desert can be extremely hot or cold. vinick foxes have some really cool adaptations to maintain a stable body temperature. I already mentioned before how their fur helps them keep warm at night and also protects them from the sun's rays. But they also have fur on their feet. Have you ever tried stepping on sand at the beach on a really hot day without shoes on? Yeah, it hurts the fur on the fox his feet are able to protect them from burning on the hot sand. Their furry feet are also great at getting traction while they're running on the sand. And there have actually been studies on their feet to see if this could help with the traction of car tires. Their large ears also help regulating body temperature. They have a lot of blood vessels running through them and that helps them release heat when it's getting too hot. They also have another strategy to stay cool. That we can see in our dogs as well. panting like dogs, Fennec foxes don't sweat like people do. When we sweat, the water from our sweat evaporates, which cools us down. Instead for Fennec foxes, they can pant in order to speed up the evaporation of the water on their tongue, which cools them down. They can pant a little under 700 times a minute when it's too hot. And they're small body size is also more effective in retaining heat than larger animals. Water can also be scarce in the desert. But Fennec foxes have a solution for that too. They get most of their water from the food that they eat, such as roots and berries. It may not seem like a lot, but their kidneys are really great at conserving water. And not only that, but their dens also collect do which they lick for that extra dose of water. So Fennec foxes are really good at digging. That's how they find their prey and also how they build their dens. They live underground all day in dens that they make themselves. These dens help protect them from the blazing heat of the desert, and they're actually relatively cool. But these dens aren't just holes in the ground. In fact, they're extremely intricate. They can be around three feet deep and over 1000 square feet in size, and they can have around 15 different entrances. An apartment of that size in New York City could put you out three grand a month. Unlike most other foxes, Fennec foxes are social and usually live with their families consisting of around 10 individuals. And sometimes they like to be extra social and connect their den with another families den. Because they're so social, they need a way to communicate with each other. And they usually do that with different vocalizations. They make a variety of different noises, each meaning something different, but the most well known sound is a shriek that is extremely loud. They can also use touch and visual behaviors in order to communicate with each other. Speaking of Fennec foxes having a relationship with one another, let's talk about meeting. So they usually meet in January and give birth in the spring. And what's really cute is that they're monogamous, so they only have one mate for their entire life. And females can give birth to anywhere from two to five pups at a time. And because they have such a great sense of smell, during mating season, males will oftentimes mark their territories with urine, and this is to warn other males to stay away so that there's less competition. Males and females are both pretty good parents because they both care for their young. Females will stay with the pups while males hunt for food to bring back to the den. And the pups are actually born blind, they won't be able to see until a week after they're born. And because of the short lifespan, they usually mature around only eight months old. Okay, we're going to take our last break. And when we get back, I'm going to start talking about why Fennec foxes are so important to the ecosystems that they live in, and some of the problems that they're facing right now.

Unknown Speaker

If you want more information about Fennec foxes, or you just want to suggest a new animal for me to talk about, you can email on wildlife. dot podcast@gmail.com. You can also visit our website@www.on wildlife.org. Okay, we're back. And let's think about why Fennec foxes are important to their ecosystems. First of all, they're great hunters. They provide a lot of population control, and they eat rodents and other animals that can be considered pests. These organisms reproduce really quickly, and they can become overpopulated if there's no one to get rid of them. if left unchecked, an overabundance of rodents could lead to the depletion of any type of resource found in the environment. And not only does this help the ecosystem, but it also helps farmers that are trying to grow crops around the area. There isn't a lot of research that's been done in regards to the conservation status of Fennec foxes. But it's currently thought that they're not endangered. Aside from that, they're facing some major issues because of humans. They've even been eradicated in some parts of Africa. For starters, they're very prevalent in the exotic pet trade because they do look adorable, but they're really not meant to be in captivity. breeders will oftentimes take pups away from their moms to sell them to people illegally. And remember how I was talking about how excellent their hearing was? Well, they're really sensitive to loud noises. So being in someone's home can be extremely stressful for them. And they also have the instinct to dig so they'll dig through any couch pillow or carpet, and on top of all that, their urine smells like a skunk and they really don't like leash. Not to mention the fact that they're nocturnal so they will be most active during the nighttime. These are all reasons that Fennec foxes are not good pets and should be kept in their natural environment where they belong. Even zoos don't give these animals enough space, and they're easily stressed out. And it doesn't help when you have children staring at you through a glass wall tapping on your enclosure. Another issue that these animals have faced for a long time, is the fact that they're hunted for their fur because it's so soft. The hunting of Fennec foxes has gone down. But it's still an issue. Because Fennec foxes don't always get a lot of mainstream attention. There aren't many organizations out there advocating for them. Fortunately, organizations like the Sahara Conservation Fund, and the World Wildlife Fund are there to help them. And we have to remember that even though they're cute, they're wild animals. And it's important that we don't support the illegal trade of these animals as pets. Thank you so much for coming on this adventure with me as we explored the world of the fennec fox. You can find the sources that I used for this podcast and links to organizations that I referenced@www.on wildlife.org and that's on wildlife.

Jess Avellino

You've been listening to on wildlife with Alex Re brought to you every Wednesday.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai