Foxes of the Middle East and North Africa: Characteristics, Behavior, Species | Middle East And North Africa

FOXES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Arabian red fox in the UAE

Several species of foxes can be found in the Middle East and North Africa, including Arabian red foxes, Fennec foxes, Rüppell's foxes, Blanford's foxes and pale foxes. Foxes are canids like dogs, wolves and jackals. They are the most widely distributed meat-eating mammal on earth. They thrive in some of the world’s most inhospitable and remote areas, including the Arctic, as well in suburban neighborhoods. "The red fox has an extraordinary geographical range," Oxford biologist David Macdonald wrote in Smithsonian magazine, "spanning most of the Northern Hemisphere and embracing habitats ranging from desert to ice floe.” [Source: David MacDonald, Smithsonian, William Stevens, New York Times, May 5, 1998]

Arabian Red Foxes are a subspecies of red fox native to the Arabian Peninsula and is found in places like the Hajar and Dhofar Mountains in Oman, as well as parts of the U.A.E., Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Iraq and Israel. Arabian red foxes are similar in color to common red fox but they are more adapted to desert life. Their ears are much larger, and their body much smaller than those of red foxes. Arabian red foxes also have fur between their toes, to prevent scorching their feet on hot sand and rocks. They are brownish pale red in color and weighs approximately 2.7 centimeters (6.0 pounds). Arabian red foxes are mostly solitary animals, but may form loosely-knit social groups of a few individuals. They are nomadic, temporarily occupying defined home ranges. Their diet consists of rodents, birds, and fish as well as some desert vegetation and carrion. They are most active at night and live in various environments, including mountains, coasts, deserts, and cities.

Twelve species belong to the "true fox" group of genus Vulpes. Some species have a "foxy" odor arising mainly from a gland located on the dorsal surface of the tail, not far from the base. The red fox is the most common and widely distributed fox. It has a rusty, red colored coat, a bushy, white-tipped tail, black-tipped ears and legs and snowy white chest. The red fox has a wider range and terrestrial distribution than any terrestrial animal with the exception of humans and the gray wolf. A male fox is called a reynard or dog. A female is called a vixen. Young are called kits, cubs or pups. A group is called a skulk.

Fennec Foxes

Fennec foxes (Vulpes zerda) are also called fennecs. They small foxes indigenous to the Sahara that have huge ears that allow them to hear the quiet shuffling across the sand of their prey — lizards (geckos and skinks), small rodents and insects. The ears also help them to dissipate heat. A dense network of tiny blood vessels run close to the surface of the skin in ears. Nearness to the air helps cool the blood.

pale fox hunting

Fennec foxes have thick fur on their foot pads that help keep their feet from being scorched by hot sand. Fennec often feed on gerbils and jirds which are located by scent and killed with a quick pounce. If there is a promise of food fennec foxes put their nose to the ground and search for scent trail. Fennec foxes can live for up to 10 years in the wild, which is common among African foxes. Captive fennec foxes have lived for up to 12 years. fennec foxes raised in the lab often dig or attempt to dig within their cages — evidence that this behavior is intuitive, rather than learned. [Source: Rebecca Adams, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Fennec foxes are the smallest species of fox, with a body length of 36 to 41 centimeters (14 to 16 inches) and weigh 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds). This makes them about the size of a Chihuahua. Foxes are in the dog family. The huge ears of fennec foxes are about 15 centimeters (six inches) long. Bat-eared fox of eastern and southern Africa have ears are almost as large as fennec's. Ruppell’s foxes of North Africa and the Middle East also have large ears. [Source: Sascha Bos, HowStuffWorks, March 29, 2024]

Pale Foxes

Pale foxes (Vulpes pallida) are a species of fox found in deserts and savanna grasslands in the African Sahel — a band of semi-desert south of the Sahara that extends from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east. Due in part to their remote habitat and their sandy coat that blends in well with the desert-like terrain they live in they are one of the least studied of all canid species. They have oversized ears like fennec foxes and Rüppell's foxes, which help them locate prey and dissipate heat in their harsh environment. Pale foxes may be confused with Fennec foxes, and can distingished from the Rüppell's fox by their black tipped tail. The skull of pale foxes and Rüppell's foxes are similar except that the bullae of pale foxes are slightly larger and the nasals are appreciably longer. Little is known about pale foxes. On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List they are listed as a species of Least Concern. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they have no special status. [Source: Wikipedia, Cheryl Darden, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

pale fox range

Pale foxes have an elongated, low body, relatively short legs and a narrow muzzle. They range in weight from 1.5 to 3.6 kilograms (3.3 to 7.9 pounds) and have a head and body length is 38 to 55 centimeters (15 to 21.6 inches) and a tail length of 23 to 29 centimeters (9 to 11.4 inches). Their average lifespan in the wild is estimated to be around 10 years. The ears of pale foxes are long and rounded at the tip. Their tail is bushy and is at least half as long as their body — sometimes as long. The tip of the tail is black. The upperpart of their body is pale and sandy in color, and the underpart is buffy white. The eyes of these foxes are surrounded by dark rings. Their pupils generally appears elliptical in strong light.

Pale foxes are nocturnal (active at night), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), and social (associates with others of its species; forms social groups). The usually lives in a pack with three adults (one female and two males). They are omnivores (eat a variety of things, including plants and animals). They feed on rodents, other small mammals, small reptiles, birds, eggs, vegetable matter such as wild melons and insects. Pale foxes dig extensive and large burrows with tunnels extending 10 to 15 meters and opening into small chambers lined with dry vegetable material.

No information is available on the mating system of pale foxes. Their gestation period ranges from 51 to 53 days. The number of offspring ranges from 3 to 6, with the average number being four. Young are altricial, meaning they are born relatively underdeveloped and are unable to feed or care for themselves or move independently for a period of time after birth. Pups weigh 50 to 100 grams (1.7-3.8 ounces) at birth.. The age in which they are weaned ranges from six to eight weeks.

Rüppell’s Fox

Rüppell's foxes (Vulpes rueppellii) are also called Rüppell's sand foxes. They are a fox species that lives in desert and semi-desert regions of North Africa, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia. They are named after the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell (1794-1884). About a dozen and half species bear his name. Rüppell’s fox can also be spelled Ruppell’s fox or Rueppell’s fox. On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List they are listed as a species of Least Concern. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they have no special status.

Rüppell’s foxes are similar to fennec foxes but are a little larger (but still very small for a canid). Both species have large ears. Rueppell’s foxes feeds mostly on insects are well known for their ability to survive in the harshest of conditions. These abilities gave rise to a legend that the fox drinks by keeping its head in the breeze and getting water from the wind. Their lifespan of Rüppell’s foxes in captivity is 6.5 to 12 years. It is believed their lifespan in the wild arrely exceeds six years due to the vagaries of their harsh environment and from pressures such as predation and competition with red foxes.. [Source: Elizabeth Kierepka, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Rüppell’s fox in the White Desert of Egypt

Rüppell’s foxes are fairly widespread. They are found in desert regions through North Africa and the Arabian peninsula, and as far east as Pakistan and as far northwest as Israel and Jordan. In their desert and semi-desert habitats they occupy a wide range of substrates, but are most common in places with sandy or dry, stony desert habitats. Due to competition from red foxes, Rüppell’s foxes have been pushed to more extreme habitats that are too hot and dry for red foxes. Fennec foxes occupy the most forbidding habitats.

Rüppell’s foxes have traditionally not been not hunted very often, but may be have been killed by locals as pests. They are neither sold as pets or hunted for fur and they do play a role in killing many pest species — namely rodents — that can damage to crops. Rüppell’s foxes are considered pests themselves for killing and eating poultry and other domesticated animals. They do carry rabies virus but seemingly less so than red foxes. Rüppell’s foxes are widespread but rare in particular areas. The total population size is unknown. The main threats to these foxes are habitat destruction, poisoning and competition with red foxes for limited resources.

Rüppell’s Fox Characteristics, Diet and Predators

Rüppell’s foxes are small foxes. They range in weight from 1.2 to 3.6 kilograms (2.6 to 7.9 pounds). Their head and body length ranges from 40 to 52 centimeters (15.7 to 20.5 inches). Their tail length of 25 to 39 centimeters (9.8 to 15.3 inches). They satnd around 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) at the shoulder.Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males tend to be slightly larger than females, but otherwise they look pretty much the same. [Source: Elizabeth Kierepka, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Rüppell’s foxes are slender and have a long, bushy tail with a white tip. Their legs and muzzle are both short. Like many desert dwelling foxes, Rüppell’s foxes have large, broad ears, and feet with furred pads that protect them from the heated sand. The coat of Rüppell’s foxes is predominately sandy-colored or “buff” A grayish colored morph can be found in rockier areas. Much of this species' body plan reflects its adaptation to the harsh climate. There are white hairs that make up the dense undercoat. Gray markings on their face help distinguish Rüppell’s foxes from other foxes. Rüppell’s foxes are often confused with fennec foxes, which are generally smaller than Rüppell’s foxes.

Rüppell’s foxes are omnivores (eat a variety of things, including plants and animals). Animal foods include small mammals, reptiles, eggs, insects and non-insect arthropods. Among the plant foods they eat are grasses, desert succulents, fruits such as dates, roots and tubers. As is the case with many desert predators, Rüppell’s foxes eat almost anything they can get their paws on. They mainly feed on insects such as beetles, but chase and grab anything they can catch and eat. They have been known to scavenge from human garbage. Due to their inhospitable surroundings, Rüppell’s foxes have few predators. Their main predators are aerial predators such as steppe eagles and eagle owls. Their sandy-colored fur camouflages them very well and the have burrows to escape to. Pups are kept hidden in the burrows much of the time.

Rüppell’s Fox Behavior and Communication

Rüppell’s foxes are terricolous (live on the ground), nocturnal (active at night), crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), sedentary (remain in the same area), territorial (defend an area within the home range) and social (associates with others of its species; forms social groups). They have been reported to wag their tails, like domestic dogs. [Source: Elizabeth Kierepka, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Rüppell’s foxes are mainly active at night, sometimes venturing out at dawn and dusk. They are gregarious and often form monogamous pairs during the breeding season with possible extended family groups. The size of the home range territory for a monogamous pair is as high as 70 square kilometers (27 square miles). The pair patrols this territory. When males patrol, they spray urine on borders, but do not leave feces. The territories of the members of a mated pair overlap almost completely, but are entirely separate from those of any neighboring pairs. These territories are maintained throughout the year, although the pair occupy separate dens outside of the mating season. In Oman, the territories of males are larger, on average, than those of females. The foxes range widely during their nocturnal foraging, traveling over nine kilometers (5.6 miles) in a night.

Rüppell's foxes usually spend the day resting in their underground dens, but in winter they are occasionally active during the day. They use two different types of burrows, which are strictly separated: the breeding dens and the resting dens. The resting dens (used outside of the breeding season) are small dens that can hold only one adult fox, and the fox changes dens frequently, on average about once every 4.7 days. Breeding dens are larger, and occupied by a pair of adults and their kits. Such dens can sometimes have more than one entrance, although this is unusual. [Source: Wikipedia]

Rüppell’s foxes sense and communicate with vision, touch, sound and chemicals usually detected by smelling. They also employ pheromones (chemicals released into air or water that are detected by and responded to by other animals of the same species) and scent marks produced by special glands and placed so others can smell and taste them. Rüppell’s foxes have excellent vision and it is believed they visual communications, such as body postures, to communicate. Because they are social, tactile communication, especially between parents and offspring and between mates, is likely to be important also. Rüppell’s foxes can bark and only tend to bark or yelp when they are alarmed. When content, foxes make chattering noises and long moans. They make a series of short barks during mating and, at other times, can also produce hisses, trills, and sharp whistles.

Rüppell’s fox range

Rüppell’s foxes spend much of their time scent marking. Both sexes scent mark the territory. They have a variety of scent glands, especially toward the anus. Females have a well developed violet gland that is used to scent mark the den site. Foxes often sniff each other's anal glands in a greeting. This behavior is common with dogs and widespread among canids. Females are often sniffed by males when they pass by. Scents production can also have defensive functions. The anal glands of Rüppell’s foxes produce nasty-smelling secretions not unlike those of a skunk. When threatened by a predator, foxes hump back, raise their tail, and spray the perpetrator the anal gland secretions.

Rüppell’s Fox Mating, Reproduction and Offspring

Rüppell’s foxes are monogamous (having one mate at a time). Like most canids, they form monogamous pairs in the mating season and this pairing often lasts beyond the mating season. Rüppell’s foxes engage in seasonal breeding — once yearly, from November to January. The average gestation period is 50 days. The number of offspring ranges from two to three, with the usual number being two. [Source: Elizabeth Kierepka, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

There have been sightings of Rüppell’s foxes family groups, which may indicate the existence of an extended family, as is the case with red foxes. In Oman, breeding pairs patrol a territory and usually den together. Cohabitation of the same den does not occur during the non-breeding season. The processes involved in mating are not well understood. Both male and female Rüppell’s foxes possess an array of scent glands. Both sexes spend a lot of time scent marking and sniffing such markings.

Young are altricial, meaning they are relatively underdeveloped at birth. During pre-weaning and pre-independence provisioning and protecting are done by males and females. The post-independence period is characterized by the association of offspring with their parents. The age in which young are weaned ranges from 42 to 56 days, with independence occurring on average at four months. On average males and females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at one year.

Females generally give birth in March. Pups are born blind. Both parents both parenting roles. In Oman, females defend the den, but their male partners are close by, never denning more than 200 meters away. Males may bring the females food or regurgitate food, a common practice in canids.

Blanford's Fox

Phylogeny of fox-like canids

Blanford's foxes (Vulpes cana) are also known as Afghan foxes, royal foxes, dog foxes, hoary foxes, steppe foxes, black foxes, king foxes, cliff foxes and Balochistan fox. They are small foxes native to West Asia, Central Asia and parts of South Asia. They are named after the English naturalist William Thomas Blanford, who described them in 1877. On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List they are listed as a species of Least Concern.

Blanford's foxes are found from Egypt in west to Pakistan in the east. Their range in the Middle East and Arabia is fragmented but they occur in Egypt, Israel, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and are expected to occur across the Red Sea in Eritrea and Sudan. They occupy a more continuous range in Central Asia, where they are found in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. [Source: Marty Heiser, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Blanford’s foxes live in found in semi-arid steppes and mountains. They prefer areas with steep, rocky slopes, cliffs, and canyons. Historically, they were thought to avoid hot lowlands as well as cooler uplands. However, they have been observed near the Dead Sea in Israel, where where melons, Russian chives, and seedless grapes are grown. Blanford's foxes have been observed up to elevations of about 2000 meters (6562 feet). An important habitat feature for Blanford's foxes is the presence of dry creek beds. Dens are chosen in areas with large rock piles.

Blanford’s foxes have traditionally been hunted for their pelts. They are regarded as crop pests in some places and be poisoned for that reason. Trapping and hunting have caused large decline in the numbers of these foxes. The main predator of these foxes are humans. There is one case of a Blanford's fox being killed by a red fox. Blanford's foxes are not hard to catch. They show little fear of traps or humans. Young and maybe adults may be taken by large birds of prey such as eagles.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, CNTO (China National Tourism Administration) David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated May 2025