Tibetan fox
| Tibetan fox | |
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Vulpes |
| Species: | V. ferrilata[1]
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| Binomial name | |
| Vulpes ferrilata[1] | |
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| Tibetan fox range | |
| Synonyms | |
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TheTibetan fox(Vulpes ferrilata), also known as theTibetan sand fox,is aspeciesoftrue foxendemicto the highTibetan Plateau,Ladakhplateau,Nepal,China,Sikkim,andBhutan,up to elevations of about 5,300 m (17,400 ft). It is listed asLeast Concernin theIUCN Red List,on account of its widespread range in the Tibetan Plateau's steppes and semi-deserts.[2]
Characteristics[edit]
The Tibetan fox is small and compact, with a soft, dense coat, conspicuously narrow muzzle, and bushy tail. Its muzzle, crown, neck, back and lower legs are tan torufouscoloured, while its cheeks, flanks, upper legs and rumps are grey. Its tail has white tips. The short ears are tan to greyish tan on the back, while the insides and undersides are white.[4]Adult Tibetan foxes are 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 in), not including tail, and have tail lengths of 29 to 40 cm (11 to 16 in). Weights of adults are usually 4 to 5.5 kg (8.8 to 12.1 lb).[5]
Among the true foxes, its skull is the most specialised in the direction of carnivory;[6]it is longer in the condylobasal length, and inmandibleand cheek tooth length, than those of hill foxes. Its cranial region is shorter than that of hill foxes, and thezygomatic archesnarrower. Its jaws are also much narrower, and the forehead concave. Itscanine teethare also much longer than those of hill foxes.[7]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
The Tibetan fox is restricted to theTibetan Plateauin western China and theLadakhplateau in northern India. It occurs north of theHimalayasin the northernmost border regions of Nepal and India, acrossTibet,and in parts of the Chinese provinces ofQinghai,Gansu,Xin gian g,YunnanandSichuan.[2]It primarily inhabits semi-arid to arid grasslands, well away from humans or from heavy vegetation cover. It lives in upland plains and hills from 3,500 to 5,200 m (11,500 to 17,100 ft) elevation, and has occasionally been sighted at elevations of around 2,500 m (8,200 ft).[8]
Behaviour and ecology[edit]
The Tibetan fox primarily preys onplateau pikas,followed byrodents,marmots,woolly hares,rabbits,small groundbirdsandlizards.[9]It also scavenges on the carcasses ofTibetan antelopes,musk deer,blue sheepand livestock. Tibetan foxes are mostly solitary, daytime hunters as their main prey, pikas, are diurnal.[4]Tibetan foxes may formcommensalrelationships withbrown bearsduring hunts for pikas. The bears dig out the pikas, and the foxes grab them when they escape the bears.[5]
Mated pairs remain together and may also hunt together.[10]After agestation periodof about 50 to 60 days, two to four young are born in aden,and stay with the parents until they are eight to ten months old.[8]Their burrows are made at the base of boulders, at old beach lines and low slopes. Dens may have four entrances, with entrances being 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) in diameter.[4]
Diseases and parasites[edit]
Tibetan foxes in theSêrxü Countyof China'sSichuanprovince are heavily infected withEchinococcus,while foxes in western Sichuan are definitive hosts ofalveolar hydatid disease.[4]
References[edit]
- ^Wozencraft, W. C.(2005)."SpeciesVulpes ferrilata".InWilson, D. E.;Reeder, D. M. (eds.).Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference(3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628.ISBN978-0-8018-8221-0.OCLC62265494.
- ^abcHarris, R. (2014)."Vulpes ferrilata".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2014:e.T23061A46179412.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T23061A46179412.en.Retrieved19 November2021.
- ^Hodgson, B. H. (1842)."Notice of the Mammals of Tibet, with Descriptions and Plates of some new Species".Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.11(124): 278–279.
- ^abcdSillero-Zubiri, C.; Hoffman, M.; MacDonald, D. W. (2004)."Tibetan Fox"(PDF).Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs - 2004 Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan.IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group.ISBN2-8317-0786-2.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 8 July 2006.
- ^abHarris, R. B.; Wang, Z. H.; Zhou, J. K. & Liu, Q. X. (2008)."Notes on biology of the Tibetan fox (Vulpes ferrilata) "(PDF).Canid News.11:1–7.
- ^Heptner, V. G.; Naumov, N. P. (1998) [1967]."GenusVulpesOken, 1816 ".Mammals of the Soviet Union.Vol. II Part 1a, Sirenia and Carnivora (Sea cows, Wolves and Bears). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Libraries and The National Science Foundation. pp. 385–570.
- ^Pocock, R. I. (1941)."Vulpes ferrilataHodgson. The Tibetan Sand Fox ".Fauna of British India: Mammals.Vol. 2. London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 140–146.
- ^abClark, H. O.; Newman, D. P.; Murdoch, J. D.; Tseng, J.; Wang, Z. H. & Harris, R. B. (2008)."Vulpes ferrilata(Carnivora: Canidae) ".Mammalian Species(821): 1–6.doi:10.1644/821.1.
- ^Borgwat, Melissa."Vulpes ferrilata (Tibetan fox)".Animal Diversity Web.Retrieved6 April2023.
- ^Liu, Q.X.; R. B. Harris; X.M. Wang & Z.H. Wang (2007). "Home range size and overlap of Tibetan foxes (Vulpes ferrilata) in Dulan County, Qinghai Province ".Acta Theriologica Sinica(in Chinese).27:370–75.
External links[edit]
