Exmoor Zoo is celebrating after the arrival of a pair of fennec foxes, the world’s smallest species of fox.
The pair are now on exhibit in a purpose built enclosure at the top of the zoo near the café.
Fennec foxes are incredibly cute and tiny, with large eyes and ears. The size of their ears indicate that they are night time hunters (though they do also hunt during dawn and dusk too), and it is possible that they became nocturnal to avoid bigger predators. In the wild, they live in deserts and have a few natural adaptations that allow them to live in this environment. Their ears help dispel heat and find prey underground, and much like the sand cats that you can also see at the zoo, the extra fur around the pads of their feet help to avoid heat from the sand. Their coats, kidneys and ears all help them to survive in high day time temperatures and survive on extremely little water.
In the desert, fennec foxes live in underground burrows so they can keep cool during the day. Some of these burrows have been found to have up to 15 entrances, can you imagine that many doors in your home? Here at Exmoor Zoo, they have a purpose built nest box in a heated indoor house.
Though fennecs are known as desert foxes, they are omnivores. Their prey includes a wide range of animals, including rodents, snakes, lizards and insects, as well as eggs, roots, leaves and fruit.
We’re all excited about the fennec foxes’ arrival and are falling madly in love and would love for you to visit in the next few weeks to meet them. Our keeps have started to consider names for them, but would love to hear your suggestions – let the keepers know during your visit what you think their names should be and we’ll let you know what we decide soon!
