Pale Fox

Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Canidae |
Genus: | Vulpes |
Species: | V. pallida |

![]() | Vulpes Pallida |
Data Deficient | |
Africa | |
Pale Brown/Sandy | |
40 - 45 cms (15.7 - 17.7 inches) | |
25 - 30 cms (9.8 - 12 inches) | |
2 - 3 Kgs (4.4 - 6.5 lbs) | |
10 - 12 Years |

There are five recognized subspecies of the Pale Fox;
-Vulpes pallida pallida
-Vulpes pallida cyrenaica
-Vulpes pallida edwardsi
-Vulpes pallida harterti
-Vulpes pallida oertzeni
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. 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 will 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.
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 all 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 vegetation than Swift Foxes in the wild. We need a wider study of these elusive foxes in the wild to be conclusive about their dietary habits.

Though they have similar personalities in vocal calls and pack mentality that Fennecs do, the interesting thing is that they share similarities with body shape and structure to Swift Foxes and Kit Foxes, which live across the world from them.
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