Corsac fox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Corsac fox |
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Vulpes
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corsac
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The corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) is a medium-sized fox. It lives in the open grasslands called steppes, as well as semi-deserts and deserts. You can find them in Central Asia, reaching into Mongolia and northern China.
Since 2004, experts have listed the corsac fox as "least concern". This means they are not currently in danger of extinction. However, their numbers can change a lot, sometimes dropping very quickly. The word "corsac" comes from the Russian name for this animal, "korsák". It is also known as the steppe fox.
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What is a Corsac Fox?
The corsac fox is a medium-sized fox. Its head and body are about 45 to 65 centimeters (18 to 26 inches) long. Its tail adds another 19 to 35 cm (7.5 to 14 in). Adult corsac foxes usually weigh between 1.6 and 3.2 kilograms (3.5 to 7.1 pounds).
Appearance and Senses
These foxes have fur that is grey to yellowish over most of their body. Their undersides are lighter, and they have pale marks around their mouth, chin, and throat. In winter, their fur becomes much thicker and softer. It turns a straw-grey color with a darker line down their back.
The corsac fox has small teeth and a wide head. They have excellent eyesight, hearing, and a very good sense of smell. They also have special scent glands. These glands produce strong smells, which they use to communicate.
Sounds They Make
Corsac foxes make different sounds. They might bark when they are hunting or when they are trying to scare away other animals. They also use high-pitched yelps or chirps. These sounds can be alarm calls or greetings to other foxes.
Where Do Corsac Foxes Live?
Corsac foxes live in the steppes and semidesert areas of central and northeast Asia. You can find them across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. They also live in most parts of Mongolia. Their range extends south into northern Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and China. They are also found in nearby parts of Russia.
Types of Corsac Foxes
There are three main types, or subspecies, of corsac foxes:
- Vulpes corsac corsac: Found in northern Kazakhstan and southern Siberia.
- V. c. kalmykorum: Lives in northern Uzbekistan and the Caucasus region.
- V. c. turkmenicus: Found in southern Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, Mongolia, and surrounding areas.
Their Home Environment
These foxes prefer open grasslands and semideserts. They stay away from thick forests and mountains. They also avoid true deserts with lots of shifting sand. They do not like snow that is deeper than about 15 cm (6 inches). Corsac foxes generally keep their distance from places where humans live or cause disturbances.
How Corsac Foxes Live
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Corsac foxes are well-suited to their dry homes. They can go without food and water for long periods. They are opportunistic hunters, meaning they eat whatever they can find. Their diet changes depending on where they live.
What They Eat
Mostly, they eat small and medium-sized animals and insects. This includes small rodents like voles, gerbils, jerboas, hamsters, and ground squirrels. They also hunt larger prey like hares and pikas when they get the chance. Corsac foxes will also eat dead animals (called carrion) and human trash. While they mostly eat meat, they sometimes eat fruits and plants, especially in winter when animal prey is scarce.
Who Hunts Them?
Natural predators of the corsac fox include wolves, eagle-owls, and eagles. Young pups can sometimes be hunted by upland buzzards. Golden eagles are a major threat. Studies have shown that many corsac fox remains are found at golden eagle nests in Mongolia.
Daily Life and Dens
The corsac fox is a nocturnal hunter, meaning it hunts at night. It is also nomadic, meaning it moves around a lot. Unlike some foxes, they do not defend a specific hunting area. They sometimes even form packs with other foxes. They might be active during the day when they have young to feed or when food is hard to find, like in winter.
Because they cannot hunt well in deep snow, they either hide in their dens during bad weather or travel south in winter. They can travel up to 600 kilometers (370 miles) to find better conditions. They have even been seen following herds of antelope, using the paths the antelope make in the snow.
Corsac foxes dig their own dens, which are usually shallow. They also take over burrows made by other animals like marmots, ground squirrels, or badgers. Their dens can have several entrances and are usually less than 1 meter (3.3 feet) deep. Sometimes, several foxes share a burrow system, creating what looks like "corsac cities" underground. They are good at climbing but are not very fast runners.
How Corsac Foxes Have Babies
The mating season for corsac foxes starts in January and ends in March. Male foxes will fight to mate with females. But once they find a mate, they usually stay together (this is called monogamous). The male helps raise the young.
Raising Young
The mother fox first makes a special den for giving birth. Sometimes, other pregnant females might share this den. After the babies are born, she often moves them to new burrows several times.
Usually, two to six young foxes, called kits, are born. This happens after a gestation period of 52 to 60 days. However, some litters have had as many as ten kits. Newborn kits weigh about 60 grams (2.1 ounces). They have soft, light brown fur that turns yellowish as they grow. They are born blind and open their eyes when they are about two weeks old. They start eating meat at four weeks and come out of the den soon after. Corsac foxes can have their own babies when they are 9 to 10 months old. They can live up to 9 years in the wild.
The History of the Corsac Fox
The corsac fox is part of a group of foxes that live in the northern parts of the world. This group also includes the red fox, the swift fox, and the Arctic fox. The corsac fox looks similar to these relatives. However, its closest relative is probably the Tibetan sand fox.
Scientists believe the corsac fox's direct ancestor was an extinct species called Vulpes praecorsac. This ancient fox lived in central Europe a very long time ago. Fossils of corsac foxes show that they once lived as far west as Switzerland and as far south as Crimea.
More recent remains, from about 3,000 to 1,000 years BC, have been found in Crimea. Fossils of the corsac fox have also been found in the famous Denisova Cave. This cave is known for being where ancient human relatives, called Denisova hominins, lived.
Challenges for Corsac Foxes
One of the biggest threats to the corsac fox is poaching. This means hunting them illegally. Their fur is valuable, and people have hunted them for it for thousands of years. Because they are slow runners, hunters can catch them easily. In some areas, heavy hunting has reduced their numbers.
Hunting Methods
Traditionally, people hunted corsac foxes with trained dogs, saker falcons, and golden eagles. They also caught them using traps set at burrow entrances, leg traps, and firearms. In the late 1800s, up to 10,000 foxes were killed each year for their fur.
Other Threats
Despite these threats, the overall population of corsac foxes is still healthy. This is because they can handle a lot of hunting pressure. Also, their habitats are still mostly untouched because not many people live in their range.
Other challenges include too much grazing by farm animals and new buildings being built on their land. A decrease in marmots might also affect them, as they often use marmot burrows to rest during the day. Natural disasters, like harsh winters, can cause their numbers to drop by as much as 90% in some areas. However, the population usually recovers quickly. As of 2014, the corsac fox is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
See also
In Spanish: Zorro Corsac para niños
