Canidae Author Don E. Wilson Author Russell A. Mittermeier text 2009 2009-01-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores 352 446 book chapter http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6331155 a7d8d69c-0188-4a74-b785-432bf1c60c9e 978-84-96553-49-1 6331155 19. Hoary Fox Pseudalopex vetulus French: Renard chenu / German: Brasilianischer Kampfuchs / Spanish: Zorro brasileno Other common names: Small-toothed Dog Taxonomy. Canis vetulus Lund, 1842 , Minas Gerais , Brazil . Monotypic. Distribution. Confined to Brazil , associated with the Cerrado habitats of the central Brazilian plateau. Descriptive notes. Head-body 49-71-5 cm for males and 51-66 cm for females, tail 27-38 cm for males and 25-31 cm for females; weight 2-5-4 kg for males and 3-3-6 kg for females. Slender with a relatively short, pointed muzzle and large ears. Pelage coloris variable: the upperparts are pale gray, whereas the underparts are generally buff yellow to chestnut, including the neck, chest and a patch behind the ears. The anterior part of the neck is buff white, but the underside of the lower jaw is dark, almost black, as are both the tail base and tail tip; a dark spot on the dorsal surface of the tail base is variably present. Near melanic forms have been described. Dental formulais13/3,C1/1,PM 4/4, M 2/3 = 42. Habitat. Occurs in open cerrado habitats, but readily adapts to insectrich livestock pastures and agricultural fields. Rarely observed in densely wooded cerrado, floodplains, or dry or gallery forests. Food and Feeding. Omnivorous, though the diet is mainly insects, particularly grounddwelling harvester termites (Synthermes spp. and Cornitermes spp.), recorded in 87% of feces across its geographical range. Dung beetles are consumed in great quantities when seasonally abundant. Other prey includes small mammals, grasshoppers, birds, and reptiles. Hoary Foxes tend to hunt as individuals or in loosely-knit pairs, with or without their juvenile offspring. Foraging group sizes of 3-5 were most common during periods of insect swarming. Hoary Foxes consume termites directly from the ground surface, or from the underside of dried cattle dung, which they flip over by pushing the dung along the ground at speed. Fox pups start eating insects at the age of at least two months. During the early rainy season, adult and young foxes catch flying ant and termite elates, as well as dung beetles. Activity patterns. Predominantly nocturnal. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Monogamous. One study group living in pasture were an adult breeding pair and their five juvenile offspring. They shared largely overlapping home ranges of 4-6 km ® (range 4-5—4-6 km *). Contact rates of a single breeding pair estimated by radio-telemetry indicated that they spent up to 35% of their activity period in close proximity, though this varied substantially when they were rearing offspring (October to May). Spot sightings in different habitats and localities revealed that groups were composed of single animals on 75% of occasions, followed by pairs (30%), and groups larger than two (4%). Vocalizations are most common during the mating season and include a roar and threatening bark. Hoary Foxes urinate using a raised leg position; frequent urination in small quantities is typical of territory marking behavior. Breeding. In the wild, females produce litters of 4-5 offspring once a year during July and August. Pups are born in disused armadillo burrows, particularly dens of Euphractus sexcinctus . Offspring are cared for by the breeding male and female; there is no evidence that other foxes help. During late lactation, the female may visit the den a couple of times per night to nurse; in her absence, the male babysits, grooms, and guards the pups against potential predators. Post-weaning female contact declines substantially, whereas the male stays with the pups during hunting expeditions to insect patches close to the den. The estimated lactation period in the wild is three months. Juveniles of both sexes disperse when 9-10 months old and may establish home ranges adjacent to their natal territory. Status and Conservation. CITES not listed. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Considered “vulnerable” in individual state faunal status accounts, but not listed in the Brazilian list of threatened mammals. No reliable data on population size, but considered locally abundant in the central highland cerrado biome, although populations appear smaller than those of the sympatric Crab-eating Fox, for which population estimates are similarly lacking. There is no specific hunting legislation for Hoary Foxes. The principal biome where Hoary Foxes occur is the cerrado, which is being destroyed at a rate of 3% each year, largely in the interests of agriculture (livestock and soybean). It appears that Hoary Foxes adapt to livestock pasture rich in termites and dung beetles. Breeding foxes are found in deforested wooded areas; thusit is possible that deforestation may not have a negative impact on the species. Areas of high human population density are unlikely to be suitable. Hoary Foxes are killed indiscriminately as predators of domestic fowl, although Crab-eating Foxes are probably more often the predators. Young foxes are often taken as pets. Some are killed by domestic dogs when dens are located in peri-urban areas. Road kills have been recorded. Bibliography. Cabrera & Yepes (1960), Coimbra-Filho (1966), Costa & Courtenay (2003), Courtenay & Maffei (2004), Dalponte (1997, 2003), Dalponte & Courtenay (2004), Fonseca et al. (1994), Juarez & Marinho (2002), Silveira (1999), Stains (1974).