Vulpes cana, Blanford, 1877
|
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6331155 |
|
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6335063 |
|
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03ACCF40-BF15-FFEB-7E96-F977F722D72C |
|
treatment provided by |
Conny |
|
scientific name |
Vulpes cana |
| status |
|
34. View On
Blanford’s Fox
French: Renard de Blanford / German: Afghanfuchs / Spanish: Zorro persa
Other common names: Royal Fox, King Fox, Afghan Fox
Taxonomy. Vulpes canus Blanford, 1877 ,
Pakistan.
Genetic analysis revealed that Blanford’s Fox and Fennec Fox ( V. zerda ) are consistently associated as sister taxa, and define a taxonomic grouping that previously had not been recognized. However, the two species diverged as much as 3-4 million years ago, which coincides with the appearance of desert regions in the Middle East and northern Africa. Monotypic.
Distribution. Arid mountainous regions of the Middle East. Known populations in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. The species also ranges across much of Afghanistan and Iran, and surrounding regions in Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 38- 5-80 cm for males and 38:5-76- 2 cm for females, tail 26-35- 5 cm for males and 29-35 cm for females; weight 0-8- 1-4 kg for males and 0-8- 1-6 kg for females. A small fox with a long and very bushy tail. Males have 36% longer bodies and front legs than females. Head is orange buff, especially in winter. The face is slender with a distinctive dark band extending from the upper part of the sharply pointed muzzle to the internal angle of the eyes. The ears are pale brown on both sides with long white hairs along the antero-medial border. The body is brownishgray, fading to pale yellow on the belly. The winter coat is soft and woolly with a dense, black under wool. Its dorsal region is sprinkled with white-tipped hair. The summer coat is less dense, the fur is paler, and the white-tipped hairs are less apparent. Specimens from the eastern part of the distribution may be predominantly gray. A distinctive mid-dorsal black band extends from the nape of the neck caudally, becoming a mid-dorsal crest throughout the length of the tail. The tail is similar in color to the body, usually with a black tip, although in some individuals the tip is white. The feet are dorsally pale yellowish-white, while posteriorly they are dark gray. Unlike other fox species in the Middle East deserts, the blackish pads of the feet and digits are hairless and the claws are cat-like, curved, sharp, and semi-retractile. The dental formula is I 3/3,C1/1,PM 4/4, M 2/3 =42.
Habitat. Confined to dry, mountainous regions, generally below 2000 m. All the records collected on the Persian Plateau are from foothills and mountains in the vicinity of lower plains and basins, where the species’ habitat comprises the slopes of rocky mountains with stony plains and patches of cultivation. Appears to avoid higher mountain ranges and lower, warmer valleys, although the densest known population is found in the Judaean Desert, 100-350 m below sea level. In the Middle East, Blanford’s Foxes are confined to mountainous desert ranges and inhabit steep, rocky slopes, canyons, and cliffs. Blanford’s Foxes are not limited by access to water in the Arabian Desert, and in Israel they inhabit the driest and hottest regions.
Food and Feeding. Blanford’s Foxes in Israel are primarily insectivorous and frugivorous. Invertebrates are the major food, beetles, grasshoppers, ants, and termites being eaten most often. They eat the fruits of two caperbush species, Capparis cartilaginea and C. spinosa, fruits and plant material of Phoenix dactylifera, Ochradenus baccatus, Fagonia mollis, and various species of Gramineae. Remains of vertebrates were present in about 10% of fecal samples analysed in one study. Blanford’s Foxes in Pakistan are largely frugivorous, feeding on Russian olives (Eleagnus bortensis), melons, and grapes. They are almost always solitary foragers, only occasionally foraging in pairs. Foraging behavior includes unhurried movements back and forth between rocky patches in a small area, sniffing and looking under large stones and occasionally digging, standing near a bush prior to circling the bush or pouncing upon prey within, and short, fast sprints after small terrestrial or low-flying prey. Food caching is rare or absent, unlike other fox species.
Activity patterns. Strictly nocturnal, likely an anti-predator response to diurnal raptors. The onset of activity is governed largely by light conditions, and closely follows sunset. Foxes are active about 8-9 hours per night, independent of the duration of darkness. Average distance travelled per night is approximately 9 km. Climatic conditions at night in the desert appear to have little direct effect on the activity of Blanford’s Foxes.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Radio-tracking studies in Israel indicated that Blanford’s Foxes were organized as strictly monogamous pairsin territories of about 1-6 km ” that overlapped minimally. Three of five territories contained one non-breeding, yearling female during the mating season, but there was no evidence of polygyny.
Breeding. Blanford’s Foxes live in monogamous pairs. Females are monoestrous and come into estrus during January and February. Gestation period is about 50-60 days, and litter size is 1-3 pups. Females have 2-6 active teats, and the lactation period is 30- 45 days. Neonates are born with soft, black fur. The body mass of a sub-adult is reached in about 3—4 months (700-900 g). Young are entirely dependent upon their mother’s milk until they begin to forage for themselves. At two months of age the young start to forage, accompanied by one of the parents, and at three months of age they start to forage alone. Adult foxes have never been observed to carry food to the young. As in other small canids, food appears not to be regurgitated to the young. Males have been observed grooming and accompanying two- to four-month-old juveniles, but have not been seen feeding them or the female. Sexual maturity is reached at 10-12 months of age. Offspring often remain within their natal home range until autumn (October— November). Blanford’s Fox dens in Israel were usually on a mountain slope and consisted of large rock and boulder piles or scree. The foxes appeared to use only available natural cavities and never dug burrows. Dens were used for rearing young during spring and for daytime resting throughout the year. During winter and spring, both members of a pair frequently occupied the same den, or adjacent dens at the same site, while during summer and autumn they often denned in separate locations. Frequent changes in den location from day to day were more common in summer and autumn.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Fully protected in Israel. There is a ban on hunting in Jordan and Oman, but no legal protection is known for Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. Fairly common in south-eastern Israel, where density has been estimated at 2 km?*in Ein Gedi, and 0-5 km?in Eilat. The threat from habitat loss in Israel is limited, as most of the area where this species occurs is designated as protected. Political developments may change the status of the northern Judaean Desert. Human development along the Dead Sea coasts may also pose a considerable threat to existing habitat. Similar concerns exist for the populations in the UAE. Military activities may affect populations in Afghanistan.
Bibliography. Al Khalili (1993), Geffen (1994), Geffen & Macdonald (1992, 1993), Geffen, Dagan et al. (1992), Geffen, Hefner, Macdonald & Ucko (1992a, 1992b, 1992¢, 1993), Geffen, Hefner & Wright (2004), Geffen, Mercure et al. (1992), Harrison & Bates (1989, 1991), Hassinger (1973), llany (1983), Lay (1967), Mendelssohn et al. (1987), Peters & Rodel (1994), Roberts (1977), Smith et al. (2003), Wickens (1984).
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.
