Fox with long ears. Fennec Fox - breeding and sale

The name comes from the Arabic "fox". True, unlike foxes, fennec has a much smaller size.

The animal is smaller in size even than a cat, being the smallest species of the canine family. Height - 20 cm, body up to 40 cm long, tail - 30 cm, weight - 1.5 kg. The muzzle is short and sharp. The eyes and ears are large, especially in relation to the head.

The length of the ears reaches 15 cm! Big ears allow you to effectively hunt in rustling sand on and, grabbing them with small teeth. In the heat, heat transfer occurs through them. fennec animal nocturnal, with eyes adapted for hunting at night, due to a specific retina that glows red in the dark.

This is typical for animal practitioners night image hunting. The coat is thick and raised, the color blends with the environment - red on top, white below. The tail is fluffy and dark at the end.

desert fox famous for its jumping ability and agility, it is especially good at high jumps - almost 70 cm and forward a meter. The intended production is practically doomed.

Like fox, fennec hunts alone mainly at night, and during the day finds protection from the sun in burrows, which it can dig very well. After all, digging a six-meter hole in one night is not a problem for a fennec. The underground branches are quite complex and have several emergency exits, allowing you to effectively hide from your pursuer.

The passages are mainly dug under bushes and trees, holding the walls of the holes with their roots. Sometimes the underground labyrinths are so vast that they provide shelter to several families of foxes at once. But usually they have nothing to fear - almost no one hunts fennec foxes in the desert.

fennec fox It is omnivorous, and often digs up food suitable for itself directly from the ground. The diet consists of small lizards, insects and eggs. Do not disdain carrion and various root crops. It tolerates thirst perfectly, compensating for the lack of water with the moisture contained in food. They have a habit of stocking up for future use.

This is extremely social creatures, forming large families- up to 10 individuals, for example, a parent pair and several generations of offspring. Subsequently, there is a division into separate families. Communication occurs with a unique set of sounds.

Fennec fox habitat

The most widespread distribution of fennel is in the central part of the Sahara. It is also found in the territories of Algeria, Libyan and Egyptian regions. It lives in Mauritania and Tunisia, as well as Niger.

Prefers hot deserts, sticking to sparse thickets of dry grass and shrubs. Therefore, the presence of vegetation is extremely important for the fox’s comfortable living. In it she rests and hides from the heat of the day and rare predators.

The animal prefers to stay longer from human habitation and, accordingly, from water, which it tolerates well. The appearance of any housing in its habitat leads to its rapid disappearance from there. The number of fennecs in the desert is not reliably known. They are often killed for their fur, or captured for pet stores.

Life expectancy and reproduction of fennecs

Fennecs produce offspring once a year. The second batch can only be reproduced if the first one dies. Mating games begin in early January, but females estrus for only a couple of days. Couples form for a long time, adhering to monogamy.

Each pair assigns a specific area to itself. Over the course of several mating weeks, males become restless and aggressive, beginning to intensively mark their territory with urine. Females begin to signal mating by sharply moving their tail to the side.

The offspring are born for two months. In the spring, up to six puppies are born in a pre-arranged makeshift “nursery” lined with dry herbs, wool and bird down.

Puppies are born completely helpless and blind, weighing only 50 g, the body is covered with light fluff, of a light cream color. After two weeks, the eyes open. The ears, curled at birth, unfold and stand upright. Ears grow at an accelerated pace and quickly acquire a full-fledged appearance.

During the first two weeks, the mother does not leave them a single step, and does not let anyone near them, not even the male. He only brings food, but does not poke his nose into the hole, fearing the wrath of the female - she is extremely aggressive.

Starting from a month old, puppies begin to leave the shelter and explore the immediate surroundings. But at first, of course, they don’t go far. And only with three months despair of moving away from the safety of their hole. By this time, the period of feeding with mother's milk ends for them.

After nine months, they are already adults, ready for mating and the difficult realities of the desert. Some leave after a while and form their own clans.

And others remain in their native hole, with their parents, continuing their family, increasing the overall size of the clan and helping in raising the next generations. IN wild conditions does not live long - seven years, no more. But at home or in the comfort of a zoo enclosure, it can live up to twenty years.

Fenech at home

Breeding fennecs in captivity or keeping them in a city apartment is not a problem. They quickly adapt to new conditions and reproduce well. Home fennec animal, and will be an affectionate and smart pet, especially with appropriate upbringing. But you shouldn’t relax - any animal requires attention and care.

It is important to have a large cage or even a separate room - even for a small animal, this will not be overkill. In the enclosure, the floor is covered with a thick layer of sand, in which you can dig holes. Fennec fox has a great need for this, otherwise there will be attempts to dig in the wrong place.

Learn to go to the toilet in specific place, quite difficult. Therefore, the room, which imitates natural conditions, will serve as a free place for the little fox to go to when he needs to. If you don’t organize a decent one, then the smell throughout the apartment will be simply terrible.

Fenech is extremely unpretentious at home, and eats everything, being content with everything that is offered - just like in nature. But he gives preference meat products- after all, this is a predatory animal. Water is an unimportant aspect for him, but you shouldn’t forget about it.

At home he is fed pieces of meat or live food - mice and lizards, which he enthusiastically catches. It is possible to introduce dairy products, eggs and fish into the diet. You can even give different cereals. In principle, you can quickly understand what he likes best.

They get sick infrequently, but treatment is very problematic. Not many veterinarians are familiar with the specifics of their ailments. Still, this is an exotic animal - fennec Photo Photos with his participation are sometimes a touching sight.

Prices for fennec

Buy a fennec fox only possible for a lot of money. How much does this overseas cost? fennec? Price it costs from 35 thousand Russian rubles and higher.

And not enough buy fenech, it is still necessary to spend money on creating all the necessary conditions for a comfortable life for a desert creature. The main thing is that he should be warm, so keeping the fennec on a cold balcony is strongly not recommended.

Fenech is the most amazing animal of the fox family. Fenech got its name from the Arabic fanak, which means “fox”. The scientific name of the fennec fox is "Vulpes zerda" (Vulpes means belonging to the genus of foxes, zerda comes from the Greek word xeros, meaning "dry" and indicates the fennec fox's habitat - the desert North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula). However, not all scientists agree that the fennec cat belongs to the genus of foxes, pointing out differences in the structure and behavior of fennec foxes from other foxes. For example, fennec foxes have only 32 pairs of chromosomes, while other fox species have between 35 and 39. Fennec foxes do not have the musk glands characteristic of foxes. Foxes lead a solitary lifestyle, while fennec foxes are social animals. Based on these differences, some scientists classify the fennec tree into a special genus - “Fennecus”.

The fennec is smaller in size than a domestic cat. The height at the withers is 18-22 cm, the body length is 30-40 cm, the tail is up to 30 cm, it weighs up to 1.5 kg. The fennec's ears are the largest among predators in relation to the size of the head; they reach 15 cm in length. The fenech needs such large ears not only because he has to learn from the slightest rustle in the sand about the movements of his main prey - insects and small vertebrates. Fennec ears are an excellent source of thermoregulation: blood vessels located in the ears and located close to the skin, allow fennec cats to remove excess heat from the body, which is vital in the hot desert climate. Another means of adapting the fennec to desert conditions is the feet covered with hair, which allows the fennec to move easily and silently on the hot sand. The color of the fennec fur is most suitable for camouflage against the background of desert sands: the fur of the fennec is reddish or fawn on top, white below. Young fennecs are almost white. Fennec, like others wild foxes, no sweat glands. Fenech can go for a long time without water, getting liquid from food. Fennec buds are adapted to limit water loss.

In deserts, the fennec prefers to stay in thickets of grass and sparse bushes, which provide it with shelter and food. Fenechs live in burrows with big amount secret passages that they dig themselves. Fenechs usually live in family groups, the number of individuals in which reaches up to ten.

Fennecs hunt alone, like other representatives of the fox family. When hunting, fennecs can jump forward 120 centimeters and up to 70 centimeters in height. Fenechs are practically omnivorous. In addition to insects and small vertebrates, fennec cats feed on carrion, plant roots, fruits and bird eggs. The famous English writer Mayne Reid in his story “Young Hunters” describes how the fennec was able to break an ostrich egg:

"How will the fennec get to the contents of the eggs when he finds them? Their shell is thick and strong. To break an egg, you need to hit it hard with some hard object; How will the fennec, so weak and small, manage to punch a hole in the egg? This was a mystery to everyone, especially to the naturalist Hans. Hans was well acquainted with fennec cats. He often saw them in captivity. I knew a little about their anatomy. He knew that their skulls lacked the groove to which the temporal muscles are attached) and that, consequently, their jaws were weak - much weaker than those of common fox. This means that a fennec cat is unable to crack an ostrich egg. He cannot break an egg with his claws, because, although he lives in a hot zone, the soles of his paws are covered with soft fur, like that of an arctic fox. This amazing feature of it has not yet been explained in any way by naturalists.
With such a body structure and weakness, Hans argued, it is as difficult for a fennec to get the contents of an ostrich egg as it is to penetrate the middle of a cannonball. Blackie said from hearsay that the fennec feeds on the white and yolk of ostrich eggs, but how he does this, the bushman had never seen and could not explain.
However, the young people did not remain unknown for long. A few minutes later the fenech himself revealed his secret to the astonished hunters.
(...)
He stood with his back to them, and the front part of his body seemed raised, as if his paws were resting on something. This "something" was an ostrich egg. Fennec rolled him in front of him along the sand, pushing him alternately with one paw and then with the other. These are his uniform movements resembled the movements of unfortunate slaves in the fulling mills, with the only difference that the fennec’s labor was not forced.
But why did the fenech roll the egg? Did he really think about rolling him to his hole? This would not be an easy job, since his underground dwelling, no doubt, was not at all in the neighborhood.
However, rolling the egg into his house was not at all the fennec’s intention. He was going to have lunch right there, or at least nearby. The spectators soon saw where his table was set. They remembered one curious story about Kaama, which they had once heard and now, looking at the efforts of the Fenech, they immediately guessed why he was doing all this.
Three or four yards from the fennec's muzzle lay a small stone, only about twelve inches high, but that was apparently enough for the fennec, because he rolled the egg right on it.
A little later the hunters became convinced that their guess was correct. When there were about three feet between the fennec's muzzle and the stone, he suddenly made a quick leap forward, dragging the egg with his paws. The hard shell hit an even harder stone, a distinct “crack!” sound was heard, and, looking more closely, the young people saw that the egg was broken into pieces.
The fennec cat's breakfast was in front of him, and he immediately began to eat".

Fenech hunts a scorpion. Video

Fennecs breed once a year. The mating season takes place in January-February. Pregnancy lasts about 50 days. In March-April, the female gives birth to two to six cubs. Fennec puppies weigh only 50 grams at birth. The mother remains with the cubs in the den until they are two weeks old, when their eyes open. The male brings food, but does not enter the den, because the female is very aggressive at this time and drives him away from the puppies. At the age of 5 weeks, the cubs first leave the den and wander around the surrounding area, but only at the age of 3 months do they begin to travel long distances.

The average lifespan of a fennec cat is 12 years.

The main enemies of fennecs in nature are desert eagle owls. However, few people have seen how other animals managed to catch fennec foxes. People are much more dangerous for fennecs. Fennec foxes are killed for their fur and are also captured and sold as pets. There is a misconception that the fennec fox is the only tamed representative of the fox order. However, this is not so: there is a breed of domestic foxes bred at the Novosibirsk Institute of Cytology and Genetics from silver-black foxes.

The cost of fennec is high. In Russia, the price of a domestic fennec fawn ranges from 25 thousand to 100 thousand rubles. However, even if you have enough money to buy a fennec, you will also have to create living conditions for it that are as close to natural as possible, otherwise the fennec will dig a much-needed hole for itself in your sofa. A domestic fennec needs at least a spacious enclosure, ideally a whole room, always with heating.

The magazine "Around the World" (No. 3, 1993) describes the story of Uwe George, a reporter for Geo magazine, who kept a fennec cat in his home for 12 years:

"The sand fox was given to me by Saharan nomads in exchange for a bag of sugar, says Uwe George. The man I traded with said that he specifically dug up one of the fox holes to give a living toy to his children.

I felt sorry for the animal, which always had to defend itself from the hungry dogs of the nomads, and took it with me. One day a fennec tree served me well. It was when my wife and I spent a few days in Africa staying in a hostel at a remote army fort. I will never forget the day of our arrival, when late in the evening, at the eleventh hour, the engine that supplies the fort with electricity broke down, and all the lights went out. Within a few minutes, the magnificent, solemn silence of the night desert was broken by a strange noise in our room: some incomprehensible crackling was heard, someone was scratching in the corner... The noise became stronger and stronger. When I lit the kerosene lamp, the picture that opened was simply creepy! Thousands of huge black African cockroaches swarmed on the stone floor. They apparently entered here through a gap between the wall and the floor. They were probably attracted to cereals, which large quantities were kept in our room. After the first glimpse morning light the terrible vision disappeared. We decided to protect ourselves from such visits in the future and placed a sand fox and two more desert hedgehogs in our room to help her. The appetite of the team of our defenders was so great that the army of cockroaches, half eaten, was forced to retreat in shame".

During his expedition, Uwe George fell in love with the charming fennec cat so much that he decided to take him with him to Hamburg. The fox, whom the reporter took in, lived in a separate room filled with stones and sand brought from the Sahara. Numerous jerboas lived under the surface layer of sand; from time to time they emerged from their shelters and began to jump - gracefully, like tiny kangaroos. The entrance to their burrows was small holes through which special tubes passed - heating channels. Although the fenech during the hunt used all his cunning to grab the jerboa: he hid, sat motionless for hours in ambush near the mink, pretending to be asleep or completely indifferent, he rarely managed to catch the jerboa. According to Uwe George, these scenes played out by the fennec were very similar to the ups and downs of the famous cartoon “Tom and Jerry”.

The most famous domesticated fennec fox is the fox in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novel The Little Prince.. Antoine de Saint-Exupery was inspired to create this character after meeting a fennec cat in the Sahara in 1935.

The fennec is especially revered in Algeria, where it is the national animal. The Algerian national football team is nicknamed "Les Fennecs" (Fennecs or Desert Foxes). In addition, the fennec is depicted on the Algerian ¼ dinar coin.

» Fennec

fennec

fennec- a very interesting animal. A fox with huge ears that lives in sandy deserts. This eared ear has the smallest size in its size. He lives near “islands” of grass and bushes, in self-dug holes. The peak activity of these chanterelles occurs at night.

Fenech is not a loner. They live in groups, ten animals in each. Such a group is called a clan and consists of a male and female and their puppies that have not reached puberty. Sometimes adult children also join the clan. It happens that several families live in one den, forming a very sociable, “talkative” community.

In terms of food, the fennec is unpretentious. They feed on what they find in the sand: insects, small vertebrates, roots and fruits of plants - and even carrion. They hunt one at a time. This fox, like all his relatives, is quite savvy. And if he has the prospect of enjoying the nutritious contents big egg ostrich, he will not get confused, despite his tiny size and lack of the necessary power resources. The fenech will simply find a stone or other hard surface, move its paws, roll the egg towards it and break the shell to get to what is inside. He will do this by running up and pushing the egg onto the found stone.

In matters of liveliness, the fennec is very agile. These small animals with sizes not exceeding domestic cat, are excellent at jumping, and their specific “sandy” color hides them well in the desert, as does their keen hearing, night vision and developed sense of smell. See how any of the more large predators managed to catch a fennec, almost no one else had to.

Fennecs reach sexual maturity at six to nine months. Offspring are hatched only once a year. The female carries the puppies for about two months. On average, three to six babies are born. Two weeks later, the puppies open their eyes. Until this moment, the mother does not leave the den, and the father carries food for them, who, on the contrary, does not enter the house: the female’s aggression during this period is dangerous for him as well. At the age of one and a half months, the puppies begin to get out of the hole, but they dare to go far only at three months.

As already mentioned, Fenechs have no serious enemies. Except for the person. Foxes are hunted for their fur, caught for sale and for domestic breeding.

Fennec as a pet

As a pet this small animal is becoming more and more popular, despite the rather high price - from twenty-five to one hundred thousand rubles - and quite troublesome maintenance. In order for the fennec to feel comfortable in a human home, it is necessary to create conditions for it that are as similar as possible to those in which it lives in the wild. Otherwise, the fox may begin to settle on its own, without taking into account the safety of your furniture.

Fenech needs a spacious room in the house. This could be an enclosure or even a room. And it must be heated.

Interesting things about the animal:

• People mistakenly believe that the fennec fox is the only fox that can be tamed.
• These miniature foxes live for approximately twelve years.
• They are, without a doubt, capable of charming and inspiring at first sight. This is exactly what happened to the author famous work"The Little Prince" - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The most famous fennec fox tamed by people appears in “The Little Prince.” The author created the character, inspired by his only meeting with eared fox which occurred in 1935 in the Sahara.
• In Algeria, the fennec fox has become the national animal. The Algerian football team is nicknamed desert foxes or fennecs (Les Fennecs). And even a quarter dinar coin is decorated with the image of this cute little eared animal.

Photos of fennecs:

Fennec sleeping on the sand
Fenech in the cave Fenech stands on the stones
Fennec at home Fennec near a tree

Fennec fox is the smallest fox. The length of the body including the tail is 42-70 cm, and the weight is up to 1.5 kg. But nature rewarded him with prohibitively large ears. Living in dry deserts, this animal has perfectly adapted to life under the scorching sun.

Fenech has the lightest fur coat among all foxes. Long, thick and soft fur of a reddish-cream or fawn color on the back, and the paws and abdomen are usually white. The tip of the tail is black or dark brown. The outside of the ears is colored the same as the fur on the back, and the inside is overgrown with light shaggy hair. Like all foxes, the fennec fox has an elongated, slightly flattened skull with a narrow nose. Wet black eyes stand out in contrast against a light muzzle.

The length of the ears reaches up to 15 cm. The ears are one of the fennec's adaptations to life in the sultry desert. Sensitive locator ears pick up the sounds of prey's location at a distance of up to 1.5 km. They also serve as moisture evaporators, saving the animal from overheating.

The light camouflage color, the color of sand, makes the fox almost invisible in the desert. The soles of the paws are covered with thick fur, which allows the fennec to easily run on soft hot sand without getting stuck in it and without fear of burns. With its strong paws, the animal digs the sand so quickly that it seems as if it is falling underground.

The fennec tree lives in northern Africa. This animal lives only in deserts and semi-deserts, preferring flat areas with soft soil or sand dunes, where it is easy to dig holes. These foxes usually live in family groups of 10-15 individuals. The pack is led by a strong leader who often marks the boundaries of his territory. Family members communicate with each other using a rich set of sounds - howling, yelping, growling and chirping. Over long distances, fennecs call to each other with frequent, mournful barks and howls.

Since fennecs are nocturnal animals, they go out hunting in the evening twilight and rule the desert until dawn. During the day, due to the unbearable heat, chanterelles hide in deep holes dug in the sand. The deeper the hole, the cooler it is. Some burrows form an entire town underground. Underground tunnels can reach several meters in length and have more than one living chamber and many exits to the surface.

The fennec feeds on small vertebrates - primarily rodents, which it preys on its site, digging them out of deep burrows. The animal also feasts on bird eggs, lizards and insects. The fennec hides the leftover food as a reserve, burying it in the sand. Like all foxes, he is unpretentious in food and hunts small animals most of the night, but in case of hunger he can eat berries and fruits. This fox can go without water for a long time, but when he finds a watering hole, he drinks a lot and willingly.

Fennec cats form pairs for life. Their cubs appear in March-May. The female brings from one to five puppies. Babies are born blind and completely helpless. On days 12-20, fox cubs open their eyes, and at three weeks they already try solid food. At one month, the cubs begin to get acquainted with the outside world, and at two they are already separated from their mother.

Fennecs are very sociable. And even adults love to play and lick each other. In some places, people keep tamed fennec cats in their homes.

Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordates
Class: Mammals
Squad: Predatory
Family: Canids
Genus: Foxes
View: Fenech (lat. Vulpes zerda)

fennec(lat. Vulpes zerda) is a miniature fox of a peculiar appearance that lives in the deserts of North Africa. Sometimes it is classified as a special genus, Fennecus. This animal got its name from the Arabic fanak, which means “fox”. The scientific species name zerda comes from the Greek xeros, "dry".
Description
Fenech is the smallest representative of the canine family. This miniature fox of a peculiar appearance with a short and pointed muzzle is smaller in size than a domestic cat. The eyes are big. Fennec ears are their most distinctive feature- they (in relation to the size of the head) are the largest among predators and reach 15 cm in length. The foot is pubescent, which allows the fennec to move along the hot sand. Its teeth are small (especially the fangs), and in general they are similar to the teeth of a bat-eared fox. The fennec cat's hair is tall, thick and soft. The tail is fluffy, with a black tip.
Color
Color hairline at the fennec khaki: reddish or fawn above, white below. The eyes, nasal pad and vibrissae are entirely black. The so-called “violet” or supra-tail gland, characteristic of all foxes, is hidden under dark (black or dark brown) coarse hair. Young fennecs are almost white.

Size: Height at the withers is 18-22 cm, body length - 30-40 cm, tail - up to 30 cm.
Weight: from 0.8 to 1.5 kg; on average 1.5 kg.
Lifespan: 10-12 years old.

Area:
The largest population of fennec cats is found in the central Sahara, although they are found from northern Morocco to the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas, and as far south as Niger, Chad and Sudan. Both in southern Morocco and in other parts of its range, fennecs are usually found in all sandy habitats, but only away from permanent human settlements.

Habitat
Fenech is extremely specialized for life in sandy, waterless and deserted deserts, where it prefers to stay in thickets of grass and sparse bushes. The presence of grasses and other sparse, low-growing vegetation is important, as fennecs use these habitats for resting, hiding from enemies and arranging their den. Fenech is practically the only carnivore of the Sahara that lives permanently away from water sources.

Food
The fenech is omnivorous, it has small teeth and gets most of its food by digging out of the sand and soil. The fenech feeds on small vertebrates (birds; reptiles), insects (especially locusts - the most popular prey) and other arthropods. They catch rodents, lizards and other prey, and then kill it with a “bite” on the neck, and carry it back to their lair, where it will be eaten. Huge ears allow him to catch the slightest rustle made by his victims, even under a thick layer of sand.
Fenechs do not need watering places: they have adapted so well to the climate of the Sahara Desert that they can go without water for a long time, obtaining the fluid necessary for the body from meat, berries and leaves. Fruits, roots and tubers of plants are an important part of the fennec cat's diet, as they provide almost 100% of the moisture they need. It has been established that fennecs can hide excess food in reserve, memorizing their hiding places well.

Behavior
Fennec perceives environment primarily through a well-developed sense of smell, hearing and good night vision. Night vision acuity is enhanced by the presence of a special retina called tapetum. This adaptation creates the illusion of hot, fiery red eyes, which is also characteristic of a number of other species of nocturnal animals. Fennec cats also need large ears to better cool their body during the heat of the day.

Fenechs often participate in games, and despite their short stature, demonstrate remarkable agility and liveliness. The fennec cat is characterized by the ability to jump high (up to 0.7 m) and far from a standstill (more than 1 m). All this helps him instantly capture detected prey.

Fenech is nocturnal and, like all foxes, prefers to hunt alone. He also needs to have a place at his disposal to rest during the day, in which he will find shelter and protection from the hot sun. For this purpose, he digs holes: fennecs are excellent diggers! Local residents say that the animals can literally disappear into the sand while standing still. It has been established that during the night a fennec can dig a hole more than 6 m long without any visible effort!

The fenech's hole is a system of extensive tunnels and cavities, equipped with several emergency entrances, thanks to which the fenech can escape unnoticed when an enemy tries to overtake him in the hole. Burrows are usually dug at the bottom of uninhabited beams, under the roots of trees and shrubs that provide support for the tunnel walls. The system of burrows can be so complex and extensive that sometimes several families of fennec cats can live together, occupying different parts of such a complex den. Even when such cohabitation is observed, fennecs, like other foxes, hunt separately.

Benefit/harm for humans

Fennec foxes are hunted: they are killed for their fur, and they are also caught and sold as pets.
This is the only fox that is easily tamed and can be kept indoors.