Rüppell's fox

Rüppell's fox (Vulpes rueppellii), also called Rüppell's sand fox, is a type of fox that lives in dry and sandy areas. You can find these foxes in desert and semi-desert places across North Africa, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia. They are well adapted to life in hot, dry environments.

This species was named after Eduard Rüppell, a German naturalist who studied animals in these regions. Because its populations are healthy and not in immediate danger, Rüppell's fox has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008. These foxes are interesting because of how they survive and thrive in some of Earth’s toughest landscapes.

Taxonomy

Rüppell's fox is closely related to the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Scientists have studied its mitochondrial DNA and found that it fits within the genetic lineages of the red fox, a pattern called paraphyly. This might be because Rüppell's fox separated from the red fox not too long ago, or because of incomplete lineage sorting, or introgression of DNA between the two. Looking at fossils, the last reason seems most likely. Even though their DNA is mixed, Rüppell's fox and the red fox look and live very differently.

Description

Rüppell's fox is a small fox, measuring 66 to 74 cm (26 to 29 in) in total length, including a tail that is 27–30 cm (11–12 in) long. Males are slightly larger than females, and both usually weigh about 1.7 kg (3.7 lb). Its coat is sandy with some brown, mixed with white hairs, and changes from reddish along the back to pure white on the belly and the tip of the tail. The head has a rusty tone on the muzzle and forehead, with dark brown patches near the eyes.

This fox has large ears to stay cool in hot desert temperatures. Its legs are beige with black hairs that become lighter towards the ends, and the soles are covered with fur to help it move easily on sand. The fur is soft and comes in two types: a thicker winter coat and a thinner summer coat. Females have three pairs of mammae. Young Rüppell's foxes might look similar to fennec foxes, but their larger ears and paler coat with white tail tips help tell them apart from other foxes like red and pale foxes.

Rüppell's fox has 2n = 40 chromosomes.

Distribution and habitat

Rüppell's fox lives in the deserts of North Africa south of the Atlas Mountains, from Mauritania and Morocco in the west to Egypt and Djibouti in the east. You can also find this fox in Algeria, central Niger, Libya, northern Chad, Egypt, southern Sudan, the arid lowlands of Ethiopia and northern Somalia. It is common in Arabia, except along the coast of the Red Sea and in the mountainous outskirts. It also occurs in the Arabian Peninsula from Syria, the Palestine region, Jordan and Iraq to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This fox prefers sandy or rocky deserts but can also live in semiarid steppes and sparse scrub. It seems to avoid the very dry middle of the Sahara, being more common on the edges, in mountain areas and near oases. The area where it lives normally gets between 100 and 240 mm of rain each year, mostly on the northern edge of the Sahara.

Behavior and ecology

Rüppell's foxes are mostly active during the night or at dawn and dusk. During the day, they rest in special underground homes called dens. In winter, they sometimes come out during the day. They have two types of dens: small ones for resting and larger ones for raising their babies. These larger dens are used by a pair of foxes and their little ones. They make short barks when mating and can also make other sounds like hisses and whistles. They even wag their tails like dogs!

These foxes live in their own special areas, marking them with urine. These areas are shared between a pair but are different from those of other fox pairs. The size of these areas changes depending on where they live, but they can be about 70 km². They travel far at night while looking for food, covering more than 9 km in a single night. The main animals that might try to hunt them are steppe eagles and eagle-owls.

Diet

Rüppell's foxes eat many different things depending on what they can find. In some places, they mostly eat insects like beetles, while in other places, they eat small animals, lizards, birds, and plants such as grasses, desert plants, and fruits like dates. They also sometimes eat food left by people.

Reproduction

Mating happens in November, after the female gets ready a special den for her babies. After about 52 to 53 days, she has a litter of usually two or three babies, though sometimes up to six. The baby foxes are born with their eyes closed. They become independent around four months old and may travel up to 48 km to find their own territory. In the wild, they live about seven years on average, but in safe places, they can live up to 12 years.

Subspecies

Some scientists think Rüppell's fox has no different types, while others say it has up to five subspecies. These include:

• V. r. caesia
• V. r. cyrenaica
• V. r. rueppelli
• V. r. sabaea
• V. r. zarudneyi

Philately

In 2008, on May 1, the Libyan General Posts and Telecommunications Company worked with the World Wide Fund for Nature to create special stamps for Rüppell's fox. They made four stamps, printed in small sheets of two sets each. The stamp issue also included a special cover with a unique postmark to mark the first day of issue.