Canidae Author Don E. Wilson Author Russell A. Mittermeier text 2009 2009-01-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores 352 446 book chapter 57853 10.5281/zenodo.6331155 a7d8d69c-0188-4a74-b785-432bf1c60c9e 978-84-96553-49-1 6331155 33. Cape Fox Vulpes chama French: Renard du Cap / German: Kap-Fuchs / Spanish: Zorro de El Cabo Other common names: Silver Fox Taxonomy. Canis chama A. Smith, 1833 , South Africa . Monotypic. Distribution. Widespread in the C and W regions of S Africa, reaching to about 15° N in SW Angola . Occupies mainly arid and semi-arid areas, but also occurs in regions with higher precipitation and denser vegetation, such as the fynbos biome of South Africa’s Western Cape Province. Cape Foxes have expanded their range over recent decades to the SW, where the species reaches the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines. May occur in SW Swaziland , and possibly also in Lesotho . Descriptive notes. Head-body 45-61 cm for males and 51-62 cm for females, tail 30- 40-6 cm for males and 25-39 cm for females; weight 2-4-2 kg for males and 2-4 kg for females. One of the smallest canids and only vulpine fox occurring in southern Africa has a slender build and a black-tipped tail. The overall coloration of the upperparts is grizzled silver-gray, the lower limbs, head, and back of the long ears being reddish-brown to pale tawny-brown. There is some freckling of white hairs on the face, concentrated mainly on the cheeks; the fronts of the ears are also fringed with white hairs. The upper chest is fawny-red, with the underparts colored off-white to pale fawn. The upper region of the front legs is reddish-yellow, with a dark brown patch on the backs of the thighs of the hindlegs. The body pelage is soft, with a dense underfur of wavy hairs overlaid by a thick guard coat of predominantly black hairs; the guard hairs are light-colored at the base and have silvery bands. During the molting period, from October to December, much of the guard coat is lost, giving the foxes a rather dull and “naked” appearance. The claws of the front feet are long, sharp, and curved and there is pronounced hair growth between the foot-pads. The tail is very bushy and the overall impression is that of a black to very dark-brown tail. Females have one pair of inguinal and two pairs of abdominal mammae. The skull is narrow and elongated, with a narrow rostrum and a rather weak zygomatic arch. The canines are long, slender and strongly curved and the two upper molars are broad as an adaptation to crushing. The dental formulais13/3,C1/1,PM 4/4, M 2/3 =42. Habitat. Mainly open country, including grassland with scattered thickets and lightly wooded areas, particularly in the dry Karoo regions of South Africa , the Kalahari Desert, and the fringes of the Namib Desert. Also in lowland fynbos in the Western Cape , as well as agricultural lands, where the foxes lie up in surviving pockets of natural vegetation during the day and forage on arable and cultivated fields at night. Along the eastern flank of the Namib Desert in Namibia , they occupy rock outcroppings and inselbergs, ranging out onto bare gravel plains at night. In Botswana , they have been recorded in Acacia scrubland, short grassland, and especially on the edges of shallow seasonal pans, as well as cleared and overgrazed areas. In the central Karoo of South Africa they occupy the plains as well as low, rocky ridges and isolated rock outcroppings. In KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa , they have been recorded at elevations of 1000-1500 m . Food and Feeding. The Cape Fox consumes a wide range of food items, including small rodents (murids), hares, reptiles, birds, invertebrates, and some wild fruits. An analysis of the contents of 57 stomachs collected across western and central South Africa and Botswana showed that rodents were the most commonly eaten mammal prey; beetles (larvae and adults) and grasshoppers comprised the majority of invertebrate intake. Birds and reptiles are occasionally included in the diet, but are probably less important. The largest wild prey species recorded are hares and spring hares. Cape Foxes will also scavenge and occasionally take young lambs and goats. Foraging is solitary, although foxes may occasionally gather in loose groupings to forage at an abundant food source. They obtain their prey mostly by digging rapidly with their front paws, often preceded by periods of intentlistening. Caching of prey is common. Activity patterns. Cape Foxes forage almost exclusively at night, peaking shortly after sundown and just before dawn. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Cape Foxes live in monogamous pairs. In the Free State of South Africa , they appear to have overlapping home ranges, that vary from 1-4-6 km ” in size. Defended territory is believed to consist of a limited area around the den in which the female has herlitter. Vocal communication mainly consists of a high-pitched howl, ending with a sharp bark. Females may bark when a potential predator approaches a den occupied by pups. Facial expressions and tail positions play an important role in visual communication. Breeding. Breeding appears to be non-seasonal in some areas, and strongly seasonal in others. The majority of births take place in spring and summer (August to October). Juveniles and sub-adults have been recorded in the Western and Northern Cape Provinces during November and December. Gestation lasts about 52 days, and litter size 1s from one to six pups. Young are born in burrows dug by adults in sandy soil, or in enlarged spring hare or Aardvark burrows. Births have also been known to occur in crevices, cavities amongst boulders, and occasionally, dense vegetation. Although both parents feed the pups, the female is the main provider and no helpers are found at dens. Both parents will defend the pups against potential predators. Their habit of abandoning one den for another could serve to avoid the accumulation of parasites and to confuse potential predators. Pups first begin to hunt at about 16 weeks, and become independent and disperse at the age of about five months. Communal denning has been recorded in the southern Kalahari, and a litter of eight pups found in the Free State perhaps reflects a similar situation. Status and Conservation. CITES not listed. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Although treated as a pest across most of its range, it is partially protected in several South African provinces and is not listed as a problem species; no permit, however, is required to kill this fox in pest control operations, resulting in population reductions in some areas. Generally common to fairly abundant across much of its range, the species is considered to be stable. Population estimates are only available for South Africa’s Free State province , where average density was 0-3 foxes per km? yielding a total population estimate of 31,000 individuals. Habitat loss/changes are not a major factor influencing the conservation status of the Cape Fox. In fact, in the Western Cape Province and elsewhere, changing agricultural practices have resulted in range extensions for the species. Expansion of semi-arid karroid vegetation during the process of desertification, especially eastwards, has also resulted in range extensions of this canid. The illegal but widespread and indiscriminate use of agricultural poisons on commercial farms poses the greatest threat. Bibliography. Bester (1982), Bothma (1966, 1971c), Brand (1963), Coetzee (1977, 1979), Crawford-Cabral (1989), Kok (1996), Le Clus (1971), Lynch (1975, 1994), Meester et al. (1986), Monadjem (1998), Roberts (1951), Rowe-Rowe (1992b), Skinner & Smithers (1990), Smithers (1971, 1983), Stuart (1975, 1981), Stuart & Stuart (2001, 2004), Travassos (1968).