Living Beings
    Source-identified Vulpes rueppellii; documentary image Framed for display
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    Vulpes rueppellii New White Desert, Egypt.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Ernesto Graf · CC BY-SA 2.0

    Field guide · species

    Rüppell’s Fox

    Vulpes rueppellii

    AnimaliaMammaliaCarnivoraCanidae

    Rüppell’s fox is a small canid of dry environments. Its combination of shelter use and flexible food choices illustrates that desert predators must respond to scattered, changing resources.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomAnimalia
    4. PhylumChordata
    5. ClassMammalia
    6. OrderCarnivora
    7. FamilyCanidae
    8. GenusVulpes
    9. SpeciesVulpes rueppellii
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Metazoa kingdom
    5. Eumetazoa clade
    6. Bilateria clade
    7. Deuterostomia clade
    8. Chordata phylum
    9. Craniata subphylum
    10. Vertebrata clade
    11. Gnathostomata clade
    12. Teleostomi clade
    13. Euteleostomi clade
    14. Sarcopterygii superclass
    15. Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
    16. Tetrapoda clade
    17. Amniota clade
    18. Mammalia class
    19. Theria clade
    20. Eutheria clade
    21. Boreoeutheria clade
    22. Laurasiatheria superorder
    23. Carnivora order
    24. Caniformia suborder
    25. Canidae family
    26. Vulpes genus
    27. Vulpes rueppellii species
    Open in taxonomy explorer ↗

    Physical traits

    A generally sandy coat, large ears and a bushy tail suit its desert-associated appearance.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Habitat and range

    Sandy and stony deserts and other arid landscapes provide habitat where food and shelter are accessible.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Diet and nutrition

    Small mammals, insects and other available animal and plant foods contribute to an opportunistic diet.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Behavior and activity

    Pairs and family associations can occur, while much activity takes place at night or in cooler hours. Refuges are important during demanding conditions.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Geographic distribution

    The Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Afghanistan, Algeria, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Palestine?.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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