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Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda) Fact Sheet: Diet & Feeding

Diet

Omnivorous

(Coetzee 1977; Asa and Cuzin 2013)

  • Opportunistic generalists (Sillero-Zubiri 2009b; Asa and Cuzin 2013; Loumassine et al. 2014)
    • Adapt to what prey are seasonally common (Brahmi et al. 2012)
  • Most important food items (Dragesco-Joffé 1993, as cited by Karssene, Chammen, et al. 2019; Incorvaia 2005, as cited by Karssene, Chammen, et al. 2019; Sillero-Zubiri 2009a; Sillero-Zubiri 2009b; Brahmi et al. 2012; Asa and Cuzin 2013; Loumassine et al. 2014; Khechekhouche et al. 2018; Karssene, Chammem, et al. 2019)
    • Insects (e.g., beetles, termites, locusts)
    • Small rodents or birds
    • Plant material
  • Prey items
    • Animals (Coetzee 1977; Dragesco-Joffe 1993 and Incorvaia 1993, as cited by Asa and Cuzin 2013; Sillero-Zubiri 2009; Asa and Cuzin 2013; Loumassine et al. 2014; Kheckekhouche et al. 2018; Karssene, Chammen, et al. 2019)
      • Insects
        • Beetles
        • Locusts
        • Termites
      • Scorpions and spiders
      • Lizards, geckos, skinks
      • Small rodents
      • Small birds
      • Eggs
    • Plants (Dragesco-Joffe 1993 and Incorvaia 1993, as cited by Asa and Cuzin 2013; Sillero-Zubiri 2009; Brahmi et al. 2012; Loumassine et al. 2014; Karssene, Chammen, et al. 2019)
      • Fruits (e.g., dates)
      • Root vegetables (i.e., tubers)

Feeding

Finding food

  • Hunt solitarily (Coetzee 1977)
  • Dig to find insects and other small prey (Asa et al. 2004)
  • Do not jump into air and pounce, as most foxes do (Asa and Cuzin 2013)
  • May visit temporary human settlements (Dragesco-Joffe 1993, as cited by Asa and Cuzin 2013)
  • In Niger, observed raiding poultry coops (Dragesco-Joffe 1993, as cited by Asa et al. 2004)

Adaptations for feeding

  • Large ears and skull structures (auditory bullae) help fennec foxes hear prey movements, including under sand (Larivière 2002)
  • Able to kill prey larger than themselves by biting neck (Gauthier-Pilters 1967)
  • Jaw muscles weak (Asa and Cuzin 2013)
    • Killing larger prey may take up to 5 min

Food storage

  • Cache food by burying, like foxes (Gauthier-Pilters 1962; Gauthier-Pilters 1967)
    • Push sand over food with nose

Drinking

  • Can survive long periods without drinking water (Rosevear 1974; Noll-Banholzer 1979a; Noll-Banholzer 1979b; Geffen and Girard 2003; Incorvaia 2005, as cited by Karssene, Chammem, et al. 2019)
    • Consume water-rich insects, fruits, and leaves of succulent plants to maintain water balance (Geffen and Girard 2003)
  • Will drink water, though water sources rarely available (Geffen and Girard 2003; Loumassine et al. 2014)

Digestion and scat

  • When water is scarce, reduce food intake and urine output (Noll-Banholzer 1979b)
  • Also see “Burial of feces” in Other Behaviors

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