Also known as the fennec fox, the fennec of place as the smallest of all foxes, and as the one with the largest ears. Head and body measure 14-16 in. and the ears 6 in. The fur is thick and silky. Above, it is pale fawn or white, and the underparts are whie. The tail is bushy with a white tip. 
    The value of large ears in hot climates was discussed under bat-eared fox (p 163). The fennec has large bullae or earbones which improve the sensitivity of its ears, as well as large external ears for the collection of sound. Both are features of desert animals which need very acute senses to detect food, enemies or mates. 
    Fennecs live in the deserts of North Africa and the Arabian and Sinai peninsulas where they are among the commonest mammals.  Of the 14 species of carnivore living in the Sahara, the fennec is the only one able to live well away from oases or other water.  It seems to be completely independent of the need to drink, but it will drink regularly and frequently if there is water available. 

Living in deserts

    Fennecs become tame very easily and can be house-trained to make affectionate and beautiful pets.  Most of their behavior is known from observations on captive animals. In the wild little is known about them, for in 
common with other desert mammals, for instance the addax (p 11), they are widely spaced out to take advantage of their scant food supply.  Their burrowing and nocturnal habits also make study difficult. 
    The worst heat of the desert is avoided by the fennecs, who live in burrows and emerge at night.  The burrows, which may be quite extensive-35 ft long and a yard underground-are dug at the base of hills or in other parts  where the moisture is likely to be retained longest.  A tunnel does not only shelter its occupant from the heat of the sun.  The sand only a few inches deep stays much cooler than the surface lavers so the occupant of a burrow lives in a much more comfortable atmosphere. 
    Fennecs can dig very rapidly and are said to sink out of sight in a moment.  This is an exaggeration, but they can certainly make their burrows in sandy soils within a short space of time.  When they dig, fennecs burrow with their forepaws, shooting sand backwards. To enlarge the burrow the lie on their sides scratching at the walls. 

Feeding in the desert

    Although the desert surface may appear bare and devoid of animal life, close inspection will disclose quite a number of small animals living under stones, in burrows or in small clumps of coarse vegetation.  There will be a variety of scorpions, spiders, beetles and other insects, and more rarely, lizards, snakes and rodents such as gerbils and jerboas, and birds. 
    Large animals such as gerbils and desert hares, which are considerably larger than a fennec, are killed with a quick bite in the back of the neck.  The prey is usually carried away to some retreat before being eaten.  Often a fennec will play with its food like a fox, throwing it about and worrying it.  Surplus food is buried in small holes, dug with the forepaws and filled with the nose. 

Aggressive males make trouble

    According to the nomadic Arabs, fennecs dig their burrows in March shortly before the female bears her young.  The fennecs' breeding behaviour, which has been observed in captivity, is rather like that of domestic dogs, or the common red fox.  During the mating season in January and February the male becomes very aggressive. The territory is marked with urine and the male attacks all strangers.  When the female comes on 
heat, the male becomes particularly violent, even attacking his keeper. 
    In the wild the litter of 2-5 cubs is born in March or April, after about 50 days' gestation.  Some time before their birth, the male fennec brings food to their mother as she rests in the burrow.  After the birth the male continues to bring food for the young. 

Fattened for food

    Fennecs are always in danger from vultures, hyaenas and jackals, but they are protected by their very acute senses when they leave the safety of their burrows.  There is an Arab saying that ‘two dogs make a fennec play, three make him laugh, four make him run about, five make him flee and six dogs finally catc him’. From this it may be gathered that fennecs are every bit as wily as a red fox eluding hounds. 
    The nomadic Arabs of the Sahara dig out young fennecs which they sell in villages and towns, where they are kept in cages and fattened for the table.  Eating carnivorous animals may seem abhorrent to Westerners, but dogs are eaten in several parts of the world.  In impoverished areas such as the Sahara no source of food can be overlooked. 

How they keep cool

    There are two ways of surviving in the desert: avoiding the heat by living in a burrow by day and emerging at night, or keeping the body temperature within bounds by losing excess heat.  Evaporation of water is the usual way of losing excess heat.  We do this by secreting sweat over the surface of the body which then evaporates. Dogs pant vigorously which increases the evaporation from the moist skin of the mouth. 
    While there is plenty of water available, keeping cool is no problem, as shown by the large number of animals that live in the tropics, but in dry areas only a few animals survive.  These are th-e ones that can keep cool without losing too much water.  Carnivores like the fennec have an advantage because their food contains a large amount of water, in the form of the body fluids.  Fennecs will pant like dogs but in natural conditions there is no need. Their main wav of conserving water is that of avoiding the heat by adopting burrowing and nocturnal habits. 
    Compared with fennecs and other desert animals, man is at a disadvantage.  His skin temperature is low so heat flows from the air to his body.  Animals have high skin temperatures so, except in the hottest weather, heat flows from their bodies.  The fennecs' large ears are no doubt an extra advantage because they provide a large surface area for heat to be lost to the air.