Pale Fox
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Description: The Pale Fox is a species of fox which inhabits the semiarid regions of the Sahara Desert. The Latin name Vulpes Pallida literally means "Fox Pale." Its environmental status was described as "data deficient" due to lack of intensified study of the Pale Fox in the wild, but has recently been moved to "least concern."
The Pale Fox is long-bodied with relatively short legs and a narrow muzzle. It's ears are long and rounded at the tip. It's tail is bushy and black-tipped. |
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It's weight ranges from 4-8 pounds. The upper-part of its body has a pale sandy color, while the underpart is whitish. Each of the subspecies colors and ear size can vary. A dark ring surrounds the fox's eyes, reminiscent of eyeliner. Their body has a less dense coat than the Fennec Fox, and they have smaller ears relative to their size. Their tail is bushier and longer however.
The Pale Fox is the least studied canid in the world, but has a life span of 10 - 12 years in captivity and 3 - 4 years in the wild. Their ears are slightly smaller than the Fennec Fox, but these foxes are often mistaken for Fennecs. The one distinct feature that differentiates them from the other African foxes is their black-tipped tail, as Blanford's Fox and Cape Fox both have white-tipped tails. In The Wild: As stated before, this is the least studied wild canid in the world. As for what we do know about them - they prefer desert, thorny savannahs, steppes, and semi arid regions rather than forests, woods, or full blown desert like the Fennec. The Pale Fox's diet mainly consists of rodents, insects, and plants. They can retain water and go almost entirely without drinking water by absorbing it from prey items but prefer to drink if possible. |
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There are five recognized subspecies of the Pale Fox. All of them can interbreed, but live in their own geographical pockets of Africa, making it challenging. Between the different subspecies, they have slightly different ear size and shape, different coat colors ranging from almost pale white to a sandy color similar to a Fennec to a dark brown. Different subspecies can also sport a slightly different nose color from dark black to brown;
-Vulpes pallida pallida -Vulpes pallida cyrenaica -Vulpes pallida edwardsi -Vulpes pallida harterti -Vulpes pallida oertzeni |
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The Sangha people sometimes "call upon" the Pale Fox for help. Sangha is a rural community in the Cercle of Bandigara in the Mopti Region in the country of Mali. In the wilderness beyond the Sangha is a trio of elders who provide people with advice about problems or changes in their lives. To do this they seek the help of their sacred desert creature — the pale fox. First the men use a stick to scribble symbols in the sand to represent a client’s questions and possible answers. Then they scatter peanuts over the marks they have left and go home for the night. After the sun sets, there is a good chance that a fox will come to eat the nuts. The next morning, the elders check which answers the fox has left its footprints on — and that is the advice they give.
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As a Pet: Few Pale Foxes can be seen in the United States in the pet trade, having been imported here by accident. A breeder in the Florida Panhandle trying to import fresh Fennec Fox bloodlines accidentally imported these instead in the end of 2011, beginning of 2012. After two years of unsuccessfully trying to breed them, he sold his 6 breeding pairs to various people throughout the United States. Success has been reached trying to breed them, and it is reported that they are much friendlier and tame easier than the Fennec Fox if properly socialized. They still make the loud and high pitched screech like the Fennec however, though they are reportedly less moody.
These foxes tend to be more curious and outgoing in captivity, and though no conclusive studies have been done, it is most likely due to years of genetic evolution of their wild counterparts seeking out humans since they learned that humans leave food sources behind and keep chickens. If properly socialized these foxes would make great pets for anyone who does not mind the noise, especially since they produce very little body odor, like the Fennec, Kit, Swift, and Gray Foxes. It should be noted that the only species of fox that does not mark with their urine is Gray Foxes, and that these Pale Foxes are no exception. |
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Caging Requirements: As they are similar in size to Fennecs and Kit Foxes, a Ferret Nation 182 model would be best if used for an indoor cage when you are not able to watch them. As with all indoor pet foxes, they should be loose anytime you are home like a dog, and only put in their cage when not able to be supervised.
If left alone in their cage, it can lead to destructive behaviors, including self harm and mutilation, similar to Fennecs. They should always be mentally stimulated more than domestic dogs and cats, as pet foxes are extremely intelligent animals. |
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Vocalizations: According to the ones I met, they seem to be just as vocal in captivity as Fennecs, expressing loud shrieks of joy when excited, but for the most part were mellow. The same gekkering of Fennecs can also be heard from these similar desert foxes, and when mating in the spring, their noises are almost a constant drone.
Reproduction: After a gestation period of about 53 days, the Pale Fox gives birth of 3 - 6 kits. Each kit weighs about 2.64 ounces at birth. They are weaned onto solid foods from 6 - 8 weeks. As with all foxes (except the Russian Domesticated ones), kits should be taken from the mother around 10-20 days, and hand reared for the tamest offspring possible. Kits should be socialized as much as they can with dogs, cats, and children before going to their forever homes. Any fox kits also need to be handled, have their feet, faces and mouth touched when they are kits so they are not uncomfortable with this as adults. These foxes have not been reported to eat their young like Fennecs, but only if extremely stressed. |
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Diet: In the wild, they would be omnivores, eating mice, plants, insects, and fruits and veggies if possible, so their diet must reflect this in captivity. Pale Foxes are new to the captive pet trade so it is unknown whether they need larger amounts of taurine than other foxes, but it is safe to assume their dietary needs are similar to Fennecs. You can read more about a good diet on the 'Diet & Adopting' page.
Range: The Pale Fox's range extends throughout the middle of Africa, extending north by the Sahara Desert, and overlapping the Fennec Fox's area. They generally tend to avoid other foxes, but like almost all African foxes, like to dig and make extensive burrows underground to keep safe from predators. |
There are many threats to their range, including habitat loss as the primary source, and land development and predators. As humans colonize and develop more and more land, the foxes become more spread out, often not coming into contact with other foxes often enough to breed.
Anatomy: Interestingly enough, Pale Foxes have grinding molars like Swift Foxes do, which show that they eat not strictly meat in the wild but plant life and possibly fruit and veggies as well. However, due to their teeth, you can see the majority of them have a more carnivorous shape, similar to felines, which would suggest they eat more meat and less insects/vegetation than Fennec Foxes in the wild. We need a wider study of these elusive foxes in the wild to be conclusive about their dietary habits. according to some subspecies of these foxes, certain groups ate almost exclusively insects, while other preferred primarily rodents, and yet others preferred more plants and berries. More study is needed to successfully conclude the diet of this fox.
Though they have similar personalities in vocal calls and pack mentality that Fennecs do, it is interesting that they share similarities with body shape and structure to Swift Foxes and Kit Foxes, which live across the world from them.
Though they have similar personalities in vocal calls and pack mentality that Fennecs do, it is interesting that they share similarities with body shape and structure to Swift Foxes and Kit Foxes, which live across the world from them.
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Source Accessed and modified 5/28/2010; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Fox
Sources Accessed and modified 4/30/2011: http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/23051/0
Sources Accessed and modified 3/13/2019: https://underthebanyan.blog/2013/01/25/malis-giant-trees-and-fortune-telling-foxes/
Sources Accessed and modified 4/30/2011: http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/23051/0
Sources Accessed and modified 3/13/2019: https://underthebanyan.blog/2013/01/25/malis-giant-trees-and-fortune-telling-foxes/
