Vulpes rueppellii (Schinz, 1825) Frisch, 1775
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6331155 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6335059 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03ACCF40-BF17-FFE8-7B95-F357F947DE42 |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Vulpes rueppellii |
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32. View On
Ruppell’s Fox
French: Renard de Rippell / German: Sandfuchs / Spanish: Zorro de Ruppell
Other common names: Sand Fox, Rippell's Sand Fox
Taxonomy. Canis rüeppelii Schinz, 1825 ,
Sudan.
Six subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
V.r. rueppellii Schinz, 1825 — Egypt and Sudan (Nubian Desert).
V. r. caesia Thomas & Hinton, 1921 — N & W Africa.
V. r. cyrenaica Festa, 1921 — SW Egypt, Lybia, extreme NW Sudan.
V. r. sabaea Pocock, 1934 — Arabian Peninsula and Middle East.
V. r. somaliae Thomas, 1918 — Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
V. r. zarudny: Birula, 1913 — Baluchistan in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 40-55 cm for males and 34:5-55-9 cm for females, tail 25-1-38-7 cm for males and 22-36-3 cm for females; weight 1-1-2-3 kg for males and 1-1- 1-8 kg for females. One of the smaller Vulpes species, Ruppell’s Fox is slighter in build than the Red Fox, and has smaller limbs. The ears are long and large in relation to the head, rather similar to Fennec Fox, but lack darker markings on the back of the ears. Coat color is variable. The head is beige to a pale sand color. The ears and face are usually pale, with most animals having black whisker patches running up to the eye, although this too is variable. Dorsal pelage varies from pale sandy to grayish and even sometimes reddish, with a more orless silvery sheen due to black speckling. Flanks and underbody are usually paler. The legs are beige to fawn, and the plantar and digital pads are almost completely covered by hairs. The black speckling from the back culminates in a dense black patch at the base of the tail, which is bushy and usually tipped white, a useful diagnostic feature. The furis very fine and soft, thicker and darker in winter and lighter colored in summer. Females have three pairs of mammae. The braincase is rounded, the postorbital processes are blunt and narrow, the zygomatic arches are strong, and the bullae are relatively large (though not so expanded as in Fennec Fox). The dental formulais13/3,C1/1,PM 4/4, M 2/3 = 42.
Habitat. Typical habitat includes sand and stone deserts. In Saudi Arabia, Ruppell’s Fox has been found in open and stony habitat, often with sparse vegetation that includes herb and grass species (Fagonia indica, Indigofera spinosa, Tribulus spp., Stipagrostis spp., and Panicum turgidum). Annual rainfall averages 100 mm per year, with a maximum of 240 mm per year. On the northern fringe of the Sahara, Ruppell’s Fox may be found in areas with up to 150 mm annual rainfall. In Morocco the general habitat offers sparse to very sparse vegetation cover, dominated by small brushes (Hammada scoparia, Panicum turgidum, Fagonia spp.) mostly concentrated in wadis (with Acacia Spp., Argania spinosa, Balanites aegyptiaca, Maerua crassifolia, and Capparis decidua trees). Ruppell’s Foxes also live in coastal areas with extremely sparse vegetation and no trees. They can survive in areas without any available water, as in central Saudi Arabia on the fringes of the Arabian Empty Quarter, in Algeria, and in the western Sahara.
Food and Feeding. Generalist predators, with a high invertebrate content in their diet, as well as rodents, lizards, snakes, birds, and wild fruits. Some studies have shown that Ruppell’s Foxes consume prey relative to availability, suggesting opportunistic feeding habits. Little is known about their feeding behavior except that they forage alone, and may scavenge at camps and permanent human settlements.
Activity patterns. Mainly crepuscular and nocturnal. They tend to remain in dens throughout the day, although active animals have been seen during the daytime in winter. They leave the den in the hour following sunset and alternate periods of activity throughout the night. They are usually inactive in the early hours of the morning.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Little is known. Adults usually live as monogamous pairs, but the species may be gregarious. Groups of 3-15 individuals, which may represent extended family groups, have been sighted. Grouping may be incidental, however;it could be the result of close aggregation of dens in the few areas where denning sites are available. In Oman, large home ranges covered some 69 km? and social units were spatially separate. Mean annual home range in Mahazat as-Sayd, Saudi Arabia was 16- 3 km?*. Males showed significantly larger seasonal home ranges than females.
Breeding. In Saudi Arabia, mating takes place from December to February, which usually coincides with the first rains after the harsh summer period. Captures of young pups have been made in early March in Saudi Arabia and in March in the western Sahara. Very young animals have been recorded in Algeria in May, and captures of young pups in Saudi Arabia peaked from July to August, following the dependency period. In Mahazat as-Sayd gestation lasts 7-8 weeks and littersize is 2-3. Young pups remain dependent on their parents for an undefined period before they venture out from the den site area. Both sexes reach sexual maturity at around 9-10 months. Dens are commonly located under slabs of rock or dug at the base of trees or bushes. In areas with few shelters the species may use very exposed dens, often in the middle of plains. Some of these burrows are dug by Honey Badgers. In open areas any disturbance induces flight; in Niger, the animals often flee from their dens when threatened. In Oman, study animals changed den sites frequently, probably as an anti-predator strategy or perhaps due to resource availability. Shallow scrapes in a packed silt substrate may offer effective cooling, and midday temperatures may be 12-15°C lower inside these dens than outside.
Status and Conservation. CITES not listed. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red Lust. Classed as “lower risk/near threatened” in Morocco (including W Sahara). In Saudi Arabia, there is currently no effective legislation for the protection of native carnivores. In Israel, the species is fully protected by law. In Morocco, Ruppell’s Foxes may be hunted as they are considered pests. Although widespread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, the speciesis limited by the large desert areas. Population density is usually low, but seems higher in areas where food is more freely available, for example near human settlements. In a fenced protected area of Saudi Arabia, density was 0-7/ km®. Lower population estimates outside the fenced reserve indicate that the species may be very vulnerable in the over-grazed, human-influenced landscape of central Arabia. Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, direct and indirect persecution by hunting, and indiscriminate use of poisons, appear to be the main threats. In Israel, the species is on the verge of extinction due to competitive exclusion by Red Foxes, which are expanding their range following human settlement in the Negev Desert. Competitive pressure from Red Foxes may also be affecting populations in the United Arab Emirates.
Bibliography. Coetzee (1977), Cuzin (1996), Cuzin & Lenain (2004), De Smet (1988), Dragesco-Joffé (1993), Harrison & Bates (1991), Hufnagl (1972), Kingdon (1997), Kowalski (1988), Lenain (2000), Lindsay & Macdonald (1986), Olfermann (1996), Osborn & Helmy (1980), Petter (1952), Rosevear (1974), Valverde (1957), Yom-Tov & Mendelssohn (1988).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
