Lycalopex gymnocercus
Pampas foxes are a medium sized fox species, weighing from 8.8 - 13.2 pounds (4 - 6 Kgs). They have a unique ability to play dead when threatened.
Because they aren’t in the vulpes genus, Pampas foxes aren’t actually foxes. Like the hoary fox, Sechuran fox, and three other fox species in their lycalopex genus, they are more closely related to jackals and coyotes than they are to true foxes.
These foxes are named after the Pampas, which are large, fertile grasslands in South America. These grasslands cover 460,000 square miles (1,200,000 sq km) in Argentina, Uruguay, and a very small part of southern Brazil. The Pampas fox lives all throughout this region as well as other grassland regions in central South America.
Like most fox species, Pampas foxes are omnivores. This means they eat both animals and plants, although they prefer eating meat. They’ll eat birds, rodents, armadillos, hares, invertebrates, and other small animals along with fruit, carrion, and eggs. And if they live around people, they also enjoy eating garbage.
Pampas foxes are very solitary, but they can be found in pairs during the breeding season and when they have kits. Both parents care for the litters which consist of up to eight kits. These kits are raised in dens which are often dug by other animals like armadillos.
I rate the Pampas fox 18/10. These dramatic dogs earn a very high rating from their habit of pretending to die instead of running from a threat.
Photo Credits:
(1) Pablo Fraire (2) Agustinzar, Creative Commons (3) Wolf Education and Research Center (4) Unknown (5) Jarbas Mattos
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Lycalopex gymnocercus
Pampas foxes are a medium sized fox species, weighing from 8.8 - 13.2 pounds (4 - 6 Kgs). They have a unique ability to play dead when threatened.
Because they aren’t in the vulpes genus, Pampas foxes aren’t actually foxes. Like the hoary fox, Sechuran fox, and three other fox species in their lycalopex genus, they are more closely related to jackals and coyotes than they are to true foxes.
These foxes are named after the Pampas, which are large, fertile grasslands in South America. These grasslands cover 460,000 square miles (1,200,000 sq km) in Argentina, Uruguay, and a very small part of southern Brazil. The Pampas fox lives all throughout this region as well as other grassland regions in central South America.
Like most fox species, Pampas foxes are omnivores. This means they eat both animals and plants, although they prefer eating meat. They’ll eat birds, rodents, armadillos, hares, invertebrates, and other small animals along with fruit, carrion, and eggs. And if they live around people, they also enjoy eating garbage.
Pampas foxes are very solitary, but they can be found in pairs during the breeding season and when they have kits. Both parents care for the litters which consist of up to eight kits. These kits are raised in dens which are often dug by other animals like armadillos.
I rate the Pampas fox 18/10. These dramatic dogs earn a very high rating from their habit of pretending to die instead of running from a threat.
Photo Credits:
(1) Pablo Fraire (2) Agustinzar, Creative Commons (3) Wolf Education and Research Center (4) Unknown (5) Jarbas Mattos
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Species: South American Canids (Speothos, Chrysocyon, Lycalopex, Cerdocyon, Atelocynus)
This series focuses on helping people choose interesting species for their fursona through informing them of the many, often overlooked, species out there! This post is about South American canids, including false foxes.
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Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus)
The bush dog has 3 subspecies:
South American Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus venaticus)
Panamian Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus panamensis)
Southern Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus wingei)
It is oddly hard to find pics of the different subspecies, sorry
Size: 20-30cm (8-12in) height (at shoulder), 57-75cm (22-30in) lenght, 12-15cm (5-6in) tail lenght, 5-8kg (11-18lbs) weight
Diet: carnivorous, preys on large rodents
Habitat: lowland forests, wet savannahs, open pastures
Range:
Status: near threatened
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Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
Size: 90cm (35in) height (at shoulder), 100cm (39in) lenght, 45cm (18in) tail lenght, 23kg (51lbs) weight
Diet: omnivorous, preys on small/medium mammals, birds, fish; eats fruit, tubers, sugarcane, other plants
Habitat: savannahs
Range:
Status: near threatened
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Hoary Fox (Lycalopex vetulus)
Size: 58-72cm (23-28in) lenght, 25-36cm (9-14in) tail lenght, 3-4kg (6-8lbs) weight
Diet: omnivorous, preys on invertebrates, rodents, birds; eats fruit
Habitat: woodlands, bushlands, savannahs
Range:
Status: near threatened
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Sechuran Fox (Lycalopex sechurae)
Size: 50-78cm (20-31in) lenght, 27-34cm (11-13in) tail lenght, 2.6-4.2kg (5.7-9.3lbs) weight
Diet: omnivorous, varied. Preys on invertebrates, rodents; eats carrion, fruit, seed pods
Habitat: deserts, dry forests, beaches
Range:
Status: near threatened
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Darwin's Fox (Lycalopex fulvipes)
Size: 48-59cm (19-23in) lenght, 17-25cm (7-10in) tail lenght, 1.8-3.9kg (4-8.7lbs) weight
Diet: omnivorous, preys on invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles; eats fruit
Habitat: southern temperate rainforests
Range:
Status: endangered
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Pampas Fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus)
Size: 51-80cm (20-31in) lenght, 2.4-8kg (5.3-17.6lbs) weight
Diet: omnivorous, preys on birds, small mammals, invertebrates; eats carrion, fruit
Habitat: montane forests, dry scrublands, wetlands
Range:
Status: least concern
Please note! The pampas fox has 3 subspecies!
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South American Grey Fox (Lycalopex griseus)
Size: 65-110cm (26-43in) lenght including 20-43cm (8-17in) tail lenght, 2.5-5.4kg (5.5-12lbs) weight
Diet: omnivorous, preys on small mammals, birds, reptiles, invertebrates; eats carrion, fruit
Habitat: varied; scrublands, steppes, forests
Range:
Status: least concern
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Culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus)
Size: 95-132cm (37-52in) lenght including 32-44cm (13-17in) tail lenght, 5-13.5kg (11-30lbs) weight
Diet: carnivorous, preys on lagomorphs, small mammals
Habitat: varied; temperate rainforests, forests, scrublands, deserts
Range:
Status: least concern
Please note! The culpeo has 5 subspecies!
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Crab-Eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous)
Size: 64cm (25in) lenght, 28cm (11in) tail lenght, 4.5-7.7kg (10-17lbs) weight
Diet: omnivorous, preys on crabs, small mammals, birds, crustaceans, invertebrates, reptiles; eats carrion, fruit
Habitat: savannahs, woodlands, subtropical forests, shrublands
Range:
Status: least concern
Please note! The crab-eating fox has 5 subspecies!
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Short-Eared Dog (Atelocynus microtis)
Size: 72-100cm (28-39in) lenght, 9-10kg (19-22lbs) weight
Diet: mostly carnivorous, preys on fish, invertebrates, small mammals, birds; eats fruit
Habitat: rainforests, lowland forests, swamp forests, cloud forests
Range:
Status: near threatened
Please note! The short-eared dog has 2 subspecies!
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Have you heard about the Dog x Fox hybrid they found in Brazil?
it's actually a really interesting case of hybridization!
the animal in question has been genetically tested and confirmed to be a hybrid between a dog and a pampas fox, but the caveat there is that pampas foxes are actually in a new-world genus called Lycalopex, sometimes known as the False Foxes!
these animals are actually quite a bit closer to dogs than true foxes (everything in the genus Vulpes) are, genetically speaking, so it's not too hard to imagine that it COULD happen, but it's still pretty bonkers that it did!
here's the miscreant in question.
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