Pocket Photo Guide to the Mammals of North Africa and the Middle East by Chris Stuart

Author:Chris Stuart
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472932402
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2016-03-12T05:00:00+00:00

Identification This is a small, lightly built fox with large ears. Its overall coat colour is pale fawn to almost white, usually with a russet tinge along the back, as well as on the face and the back of the ears. It has a long, bushy tail with a distinctive white tip.

Size Shoulder height 30 cm.

Weight 1.2–3.6 kg.

Habitat and Behaviour Rüppell’s Fox shows a strong preference for sandy desert, including areas of dunes, but in some areas occupies stony desert. Its favoured areas have sparse to very sparse vegetation cover. It eats mainly invertebrates and small rodents, but also wild fruits and berries. It lives in territorial pairs that mate for life, but occasionally larger numbers are seen together. These are probably family parties, with groups numbering 3–15 individuals. In Oman they occupy home ranges of about 50 sq km; elsewhere ranges may be as small as 10 sq km. The fox is mostly nocturnal with some diurnal activity. In Saudi Arabia mating takes place in December–February, with young cubs being found there and in Western Sahara in March. Litter size is reported from Saudi Arabia as usually 2–3 cubs.

Distribution and Status This small fox ranges right across the Sahara, but is absent from the Atlas region. It is also present through suitable habitat across the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula, and across Iran, but is absent from much of Syria and does not occur in Turkey. In Iran it reaches its main distribution in the central deserts, the south and towards the Pakistan border.

Conservation Areas Ahaggar NP, Tassili n’Ajjer NP (Algeria); Sidi Toui NP (Tunisia); Nefhusa NP, Zellaf NR (Libya); Banc d’Arguin NP (Mauritania); Aïr and Tenere NR (Niger); Gebel Elba CA (Egypt); Maktesh Ramon NP, Tznifim NR (Israel); Mahazat as-Sayd, Harrat al’ Harrah, Uruq Bani Ma’arid (Saudi Arabia); Jiddat al Harasis (Oman); Mehrouyeh WR (Iran).

PALE FOX Vulpes pallida

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