Darwin's fox

Darwin's fox[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[3]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Lycalopex
Species:
L. fulvipes
Binomial name
Lycalopex fulvipes
(Martin, 1837)
Darwin's fox range[contradictory]
Synonyms
  • L. lagopus (Molina, 1782)

Darwin's fox or Darwin's zorro (Lycalopex fulvipes) is an endangered canid from the genus Lycalopex. It is also known as the zorro chilote or zorro de Darwin[2] in Spanish and lives in Nahuelbuta National Park, the Cordillera de Oncol, Cordillera Pelada in mainland Chile and Chiloé Island.[4] This small, dark canine weighs 1.8 to 3.95 kg (4.0 to 8.7 lb), has a head-and-body length of 48 to 59 cm (19 to 23 in) and a tail that is 17.5 to 25.5 cm (7 to 10 in).[5] Darwin's fox displays no key differences between male and female other than the fact that the male has a broader muzzle.[6] Males display no territorial behavior and are not aggressive towards other males roaming around their territory.[6]

Darwin's fox was first collected from San Pedro Island off the coast of Chile by the naturalist Charles Darwin, in 1834, hence, the name- Darwin's Fox. It was long held that Darwin's fox was a subspecies of the South American gray fox (L. griseus); however, the discovery of a small population of Darwin's fox on the mainland in Nahuelbuta National Park, in 1990[7] and subsequent genetic analysis has clarified the fox's status as a unique species.[8] In 2012 and 2013, the presence of the Darwin's fox at Oncol Park, Alerce Costero National Park and the Valdivian Coastal Reserve was confirmed through camera trapping.[4]

  1. ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ a b Silva-Rodríguez, E, Farias, A.; Moreira-Arce, D.; Cabello, J.; Hidalgo-Hermoso, E.; Lucherini, M.; Jiménez, J. (2016) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Lycalopex fulvipes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41586A107263066. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41586A85370871.en.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  4. ^ a b Farias, Ariel A; Sepúlveda, Maximiliano A; Silva-Rodríguez, Eduardo A; Eguren, Antonieta; González, Danilo; Jordán, Natalia I; Ovando, Erwin; Stowhas, Paulina; Svensson, Gabriella L (2014). "A new population of Darwin's fox (Lycalopex fulvipes) in the Valdivian Coastal Range". Revista Chilena de Historia Natural. 87 3. doi:10.1186/0717-6317-87-3. ISSN 0717-6317.
  5. ^ Jiménez, J. E. & McMahon, E. Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (PDF). International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources/Species Survival Commission Canid Specialist Group. pp. 50–55. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2013.
  6. ^ a b Jiménez, J. E. (2007). "Ecology of a coastal population of the critically endangered Darwin's fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes) on Chiloé Island, southern Chile". Journal of Zoology. 271: 63–77. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00218.x.
  7. ^ Medel, Rodrigo G.; et al. (1990). "Discovery of a continental population of the rare Darwin's fox, Dusicyon fulvipes (Martin, 1837) in Chile" (PDF). Biological Conservation. 51 (1): 71–77. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(90)90033-L.
  8. ^ Yahnke, Christopher J.; et al. (1996). "Darwin's Fox: A Distinct Endangered Species in a Vanishing Habitat" (PDF). Conservation Biology. 10 (2): 366–375. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10020366.x. ISSN 0888-8892. JSTOR 2386853.