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

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)

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