Pampas Fox
Encyclopedia
The Pampas fox also known as graxaim, sorro, Azara's fox, or Azara's zorro, is a medium sized zorro or "false" fox native to South American pampas and its range is through central South America in Argentina
, Uruguay
, Paraguay
and Brazil
. Several of the alternative common names are references to Spanish
naturalist
Félix de Azara
.
, but is smaller and gray in color with black mark on the muzzle
. It has short, dense fur that is gray on the back and underparts. The head and neck are reddish, and the ears are triangular, broad and relatively large; it is reddish on the outer surface and white on the inner surface. In the northern part of its range, the Pampas fox is more richly colored than in the southern part.
The Pampas fox weighs 9 to 12 pounds. The males are approximately in 10% larger than females.
It mainly spends its time in high grassland and thicket when hunting its prey.
period of 55 – 60 days, the mother gives birth to 3-5 kits. Pups will hunt with parents when they are 3 months old. The males bring food to their females who stay at the den with kits.
s, rodent
s, fruit
s, rabbit
s, frog
s, lizard
s, sometimes lambs
, carrion
, eggs
, and invertebrate
s. Approximately 75% of its diet consists of rodents, rabbits and birds. It is considered an omnivorous canid and sometimes attacks domestic livestock.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Several of the alternative common names are references to Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
Félix de Azara
Félix de Azara
Félix Manuel de Azara was a Spanish military officer, naturalist and engineer. He was born in Barbunales, Aragon....
.
Description
The Pampas fox resembles the culpeoCulpeo
The culpeo , sometimes known as the culpeo zorro or Andean fox , is a South American species of wild dog. It is the second largest native canid on the continent after the maned wolf. In its appearance it bears many similarities to the widely recognized red fox...
, but is smaller and gray in color with black mark on the muzzle
Snout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
. It has short, dense fur that is gray on the back and underparts. The head and neck are reddish, and the ears are triangular, broad and relatively large; it is reddish on the outer surface and white on the inner surface. In the northern part of its range, the Pampas fox is more richly colored than in the southern part.
The Pampas fox weighs 9 to 12 pounds. The males are approximately in 10% larger than females.
Distribution and habitat
The Pampas fox can be found in the Southern Cone Pampas in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil. It prefers grasslands, forest and valleys and prefers various open habitats in its range.Behavior
The Pampas fox mostly lives a solitary life, but comes together in the breeding season to raise and care for its young. If a threatening or larger animal comes near it is known to play dead with its eyes closed and will stay there until the animal leaves. It is mainly nocturnal, becoming active at dusk, although sometimes it is active during the day in areas with little human habitation.It mainly spends its time in high grassland and thicket when hunting its prey.
Reproduction
It prefers relatively solitary lifestyle, but sometimes live in monogamous pairs. Pregnant females hide in dens that are among bushes or at the base of trees. After a gestationGestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period of 55 – 60 days, the mother gives birth to 3-5 kits. Pups will hunt with parents when they are 3 months old. The males bring food to their females who stay at the den with kits.
Diet
The Pampas fox eats plants, birdBird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s, sometimes lambs
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
, carrion
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
, eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
, and invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s. Approximately 75% of its diet consists of rodents, rabbits and birds. It is considered an omnivorous canid and sometimes attacks domestic livestock.
Threats
The main threats to the Pampas fox comes from humans hunting it for its skin. It is also killed to prevent it from attacking livestock.Subspecies
There are five recognized subspecies of this zorro:- Lycalopex gymnocercus gymnocercus
- Lycalopex gymnocercus antiquus
- Lycalopex gymnocercus domeykoanus
- Lycalopex gymnocercus gracilis
- Lycalopex gymnocercus maullinicus
External links
- http://www.canids.org/species/Pampas_fox.pdf