📸 PhotoPhoto: Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Fennec Fox
Vulpes zerda (Fennec Fox · フェネック)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 According to the Smithsonian, its ears reach up to 15.2 cm—similar to a ballpoint pen (about 14 cm)—and its maximum weight of 1.5 kg equals one 1.5 L bottle of water (Comparison).
- 💡 It is kept in zoos and raised as a personal pet (ADW). Its shoulder height of about 22 cm is similar to the short side of a sheet of A4 paper (21 cm) (Comparison).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Fennec Fox is the smallest member of the dog family. It lives in sandy deserts including the Sahara and forms family groups.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Relative to its body size, it has the largest ears in the dog family, which it uses to radiate heat and listen for prey under the sand. Its fur is pale cream to nearly white, its tail is bushy with a black tip, and its furry paws protect its feet from hot sand.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It eats insects, small rodents, lizards, birds, and eggs, and gets moisture from roots, fruits, and leaves so it does not need to drink water. It hunts alone at night, digging in the sand with all four feet. Family groups have up to 10 members and breed in January–February (months 1–2).
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2015) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41588/46173447
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • mammaldiversity.org — 1005978
- • iucnredlist.org — 46173447
- • wikidata.org — Q131564
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Fennec Fox (9163009503).jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Vulpes zerda
- • nationalzoo.si.edu — fennec-fox
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — author not recorded · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.