The Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda), also called the desert fox or fennec, is a small crepuscular fox native to the Sahara Desert, the Sinai Peninsula, Arava desert, and the Arabian desert. Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which also serve to dissipate heat. Its name comes from this species' name in Arabic: "fanak" (فَنَك). The fennec is the smallest species of canid. Its coat, ears, and kidney functions have adapted to high-temperature, low-water, desert environments to keep cool and store water water in times of extended dry seasons or drought. Also, its hearing is sensitive enough to hear prey moving underground. It mainly eats insects, small mammals, birds, snakes, and lizards.
The fennec has a life span of up to 14 years in captivity and about 10 years in the wild. Its main predators are the African varieties of eagle owl, jackals, and other large mammals. Families of fennecs dig out dens in the sand for habitation and protection, which can be as large as 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft) and adjoin the dens of other families. Precise population figures are not known but are estimated from the frequency of sightings; these indicate that the animal is currently not threatened by extinction. Knowledge of social interactions is limited to information gathered from captive animals. The species is usually assigned to the genus Vulpes along with other true foxes like the red fox; however, this is debated due to differences between the fennec fox and other fox species.