Hoary fox

Last updated

Hoary fox [1]
Lycalopex vetulus in Bacury Lodge, Anhembi 5.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Lycalopex
Species:
L. vetulus
Binomial name
Lycalopex vetulus
(Lund, 1842)
Hoary Fox area.png
Hoary fox range
Synonyms

Pseudoalopex vetulus
Dusicyon vetulus

The hoary fox or hoary zorro (Lycalopexvetulus), also known as raposinha-do-campo in Brazil (Portuguese for "little fox of the meadow"), is a species of zorro or "false" fox endemic to Brazil. Unlike many other foxes, it feeds primarily on small invertebrates such as insects.

Contents

Description

The hoary fox has a short muzzle, small teeth, a short coat, and slender limbs. The upper part of the body is grey, and the underside of the body is cream or fawn. The tail is black on the tip with a marked dark stripe along the upper surface, which in male animals may extend all the way along the back to the nape of the neck. The ears and outside part of the legs are reddish or tawny, and the lower jaw is black. Some melanistic individuals have also been reported. [3] [4]

It is small for a fox, weighing only 3 to 4 kg (6.6 to 8.8 lb), with a head and body length of 58 to 72 cm (23 to 28 in), and a tail 25 to 36 cm (9.8 to 14.2 in). Together with its slender form, the small size of the hoary fox makes it an agile and fast-running animal, while its relatively weak teeth adapt it to feeding on invertebrates, rather than larger prey. [4]

Behaviour and diet

Hoary foxes are nocturnal, [5] and largely solitary outside of the breeding season. They mainly eat insects, especially termites, dung beetles, and grasshoppers, [6] but also may eat rodents, small birds, and fruit. Individuals have widely varying home ranges, depending on the local environment and reported examples are as follows: 385 ha (950 acres) for 1 adult female in southern Bahia, 456 ha (1,130 acres) for a group consisting of an adult breeding pair and 5 juvenile offspring in a pasture of Minas Gerais, and 48 ha (120 acres) for 2 breeding pairs out of 3 study groups from pastures in eastern Mato Grosso. [4]

Range

The hoary fox is endemic to Brazil and its geographic distribution is associated with the limits of the Cerrado ecosystem, in an altitude range of 90–1,100 mm. [4] However, it can also be found in transition zones, including open habitats in the Pantanal. The occurrence of the hoary fox in areas of the Atlantic Forest is in a matrix of anthropogenic pastures, regionally interspersed by remnants of semideciduous forest and small patches of Cerrado. [7]

The current extension extends from the northeast and west of São Paulo to the north of Piauí, passing through the states of Ceará, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais, Tocantins, Bahia and probably open regions in the south of the states of Rondônia.[ citation needed ]

Reproduction

Females usually give birth to two to four pups in August to September, after a gestation period around 50 days. [4] The sex ratio of the pups is equal between males and females. [5] The female prepares a den in which to give birth, sometimes using the burrows of other animals. Weaning occurs around 4 months of age. [4] Both parent participate in rearing of the pups. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Brazil</span>

The country of Brazil occupies roughly half of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil covers a total area of 8,514,215 km2 (3,287,357 sq mi) which includes 8,456,510 km2 (3,265,080 sq mi) of land and 55,455 km2 (21,411 sq mi) of water. The highest point in Brazil is Pico da Neblina at 2,994 m (9,823 ft). Brazil is bordered by the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, and French Guiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mato Grosso</span> State of Brazil

Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mato Grosso do Sul</span> State of Brazil

Mato Grosso do Sul is one of Brazil's 27 federal units, located in the southern part of the Central-West Region, bordering five Brazilian states: Mato Grosso, Goiás and Minas Gerais (northeast), São Paulo (east) and Paraná (southeast); and two South America countries: Paraguay and Bolivia (west). It is divided into 79 municipalities and covers an area of 357,145.532 square kilometers, which is about the same size as Germany. With a population of 2,839,188 inhabitants in 2021, Mato Grosso do Sul is the 21st most populous state in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culpeo</span> Species of carnivore

The culpeo, also known as Culpeo zorro, Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, Andean wolf, and colpeo fox, is a species of South American fox. Despite the name, it is not a true fox, but more closely related to wolves and jackals. Its appearance resembles that of foxes due to convergent evolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maned wolf</span> Species of carnivore

The maned wolf is a large canine of South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. Its markings resemble those of foxes, but it is neither a fox nor a wolf. It is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South American fox</span> Genus of carnivores

The South American foxes (Lycalopex), commonly called raposa in Portuguese, or zorro in Spanish, are a genus from South America of the subfamily Caninae. Despite their name, they are not true foxes, but are a unique canid genus more closely related to wolves and jackals than to true foxes; some of them resemble foxes due to convergent evolution. The South American gray fox, Lycalopex griseus, is the most common species, and is known for its large ears and a highly marketable, russet-fringed pelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab-eating fox</span> Species of carnivore

The crab-eating fox, also known as the forest fox, wood fox, bushdog or maikong, is an extant species of medium-sized canid endemic to the central part of South America since at least the Pleistocene epoch. Like South American foxes, which are in the genus Lycalopex, it is not closely related to true foxes. Cerdocyon comes from the Greek words kerdo and kyon (dog) referring to the dog- and fox-like characteristics of this animal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin's fox</span> Species of canid

Darwin's fox or Darwin's zorro is an endangered canid from the genus Lycalopex. It is also known as the zorro chilote or zorro de Darwin in Spanish and lives inNahuelbuta National Park, the Cordillera de Oncol, Cordillera Pelada in mainland Chile and Chiloé Island. This small, dark canine weighs 1.8 to 3.95 kg, has a head-and-body length of 48 to 59 cm and a tail that is 17.5 to 25.5 cm. Darwin's fox displays no key differences between male and female other than the fact that the male has a broader muzzle. Males display no territorial behavior and are not aggressive towards other males roaming around their territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sechuran fox</span> Species of carnivore

The Sechuran fox, also called the Peruvian desert fox or the Sechuran zorro, is a small South American species of canid closely related to other South American "false" foxes or zorro. It gets its name for being found in the Sechura Desert in northwestern Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pampas fox</span> Species of carnivore

The Pampas fox, also known as grey pampean fox, Pampas zorro, Azara's fox, or Azara's zorro, is a medium-sized zorro, or "false" fox, native to the South American Pampas. Azara in some of its alternative common names is a reference to Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South American gray fox</span> Species of carnivore

The South American gray fox, also known as the Patagonian fox, the chilla or zorro gris, is a South American species of Lycalopex in the Canidae family, which includes dogs, wolves, jackals, coyotes and foxes, among other canids. It is endemic to the southern parts of Argentina and Chile, primarily Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego.

Taiamã Ecological Station is an ecological station in the Mato Grosso state of Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalapão State Park</span>

Jalapão State Park is a state park in the microregion of Jalapão in eastern Tocantins, Brazil. It contains a variety of landscapes including cerrado vegetation, sand dunes and flat-topped plateaus.

Serra Geral do Tocantins Ecological Station is an ecological station in the states of Bahia and Tocantins, Brazil. It is one of the largest such units in the country, and protects a sparsely populated area of the cerrado biome. The main threat comes from frequent fires set by the local people in order to create cattle pasturage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massairo Okamura State Park</span> State park in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil

The Massairo Okamura State Park is a state park in the city of Cuiabá, capital of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It preserves an area of typical cerrado forest in a densely urbanised area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Encontro das Águas State Park</span>

The Encontro das Águas State Park is a state park in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It covers an area of the pantanal rich in watercourses.

The Serra de Santa Bárbara State Park is a state park in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It preserves a unique environment where the Amazon rainforest, pantanal and cerrado meet, and holds many endemic or endangered species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerdocyonina</span> Subtribe of carnivores

Cerdocyonina is an extant subtribe of the canines and is exclusively endemic to the Americas. Often described to be "fox-like" in appearance and behavior, they are more closely related to the wolf-like canids such as Canis than they are to the fox genus Vulpes. Its members are colloquially known as the South American canids and there are 10 extant species. They are sometimes referred to as South American foxes in the older literature, but the term zorro has been recommended by mammalogists to avoid confusion with the true foxes of the tribe Vulpini, which includes the genus Vulpes.

References

  1. Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. Lemos, F.G.; Azevedo, F.C.; Paula, R.C.; Dalponte, J.C. (2020). "Lycalopex vetulus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T6926A87695615. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T6926A87695615.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. "Lycalopex vetulus". University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Julio C., Dalponte (2009). "Lycalopex vetulus (Carnivora: Canidae)". Mammalian Species. 847: 1–7. doi: 10.1644/847.1 .
  5. 1 2 3 Courtenay, O.; et al. (2006). "First observations on South America's largely insectivorous canid: the hoary fox (Pseudalopex vetulus)". Journal of Zoology. 268 (1): 45–54. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2005.00021.x.
  6. "Lycalopex vetulus (Hoary fox)". Animal Diversity Web .
  7. Dalponte, J. C.; Oliveira, J. S.; Lacerda, A. C. R. (2018). "Occurrence of Lycalopex vetulus (Carnivora, Canidae) in the Cerrado-Amazon forest ecotone and Pantanal". Acta Zoológica Platense. 18: 1–10. Retrieved 19 July 2021.