# Fennec fox (*Vulpes zerda*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/fennec-fox  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The fennec fox (Vulpes zerda), also called the fennec, is a mammal in the family Canidae and the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial, nocturnal carnivore with an adult body mass of 1.1 kg and values up to 1.208 kg. The fennec fox is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.1 kg – 1.21 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 14.6 years – 16.3 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | desert |
| Gestation | 49 days – 51 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 – 5 |
| Age at maturity | 9 months – 9.66 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Canidae
- genus: Vulpes
- species: *Vulpes zerda* (Zimmermann, 1780)

Synonyms: *Canis zerda*, *Fennecus zerda*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the fennec fox?

The fennec fox is a mammal in the family Canidae, order Carnivora. It is terrestrial and nocturnal.

### How heavy is a fennec fox?

An adult fennec fox weighs 1.1 kg, with values up to 1.208 kg reported. This places it in the medium size class.

### What does the fennec fox eat?

The fennec fox is a carnivore.

### How long does a fennec fox live?

The fennec fox has a lifespan of 14.58 years, with values up to 16.3 years reported.

### How many young does a fennec fox have?

A fennec fox has 2 to 5 young per litter, with 2.36 as the representative value, and 1 litter per year. Gestation lasts 51 days.

### What is the scientific name of the fennec fox?

The scientific name of the fennec fox is Vulpes zerda, named by (Zimmermann, 1780).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/fennec-fox