CreatureData

Pale fox

Vulpes pallida (Cretzschmar, 1826)

LCLeast Concernmammals

The pale fox (Vulpes pallida), also called the pallid fox or African sand fox, is a mammal of the family Canidae in the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial, nocturnal carnivore with an adult body mass of 2.8 kg and up to 10.6 kg.

Pale fox (Vulpes pallida)
Photo: J. G. Keulemans · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the pale fox

Gestation lasts 62 days, litters average 5.5 young, and there is 1 litter per year; sexual maturity is reached at 274 to 313 days. The IUCN Red List assesses the pale fox as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

Weight
2.8 kg – 10.6 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
19.5 years – 21.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
51 days – 62.1 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
5.49src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
9 months – 10.3 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the pale fox

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Pale fox (Vulpes pallida)
Mourad Harzallah · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the pale fox live?

Not recorded

What is the pale fox?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The pale fox (Vulpes pallida) is a species of fox found in the band of African Sahel from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east. It is one of the least studied of all canid species, in part due to its remote habitat and its sandy coat that blends in well with the desert-like terrain. The pale fox is distinguished by its light-colored fur and oversized ears, which enable it to excel in camouflage and survival in harsh environments.

Individuals of the species serve as key predators and scavengers. Despite being lesser known, the pale fox is considered a significant indicator of an ecosystem's health and a focal point for conservation interests.

From the Wikipedia article “Pale fox” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pale_fox&oldid=1381582516), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the pale fox endangered?

The pale fox is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the pale fox classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderCarnivora
  5. familyCanidae
  6. genusVulpes
  7. SpeciesVulpes pallida (Cretzschmar, 1826)

Synonyms Canis pallidus

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • African sand foxEnglish
  • African sand foxEnglish
  • Pallid foxEnglish
  • Pallid foxEnglish
  • SandvosAfrikaans
  • TsaalebArabic
  • ثعلب باهتArabic
  • الثعلب الرمال الأفريقيArabic
  • Rabosa palidaAragonese
  • liška písečnáCzech
  • Bleg rævDanish
  • BlassfuchsGerman
  • Ωχρή ΑλεπούGreek
  • Zorro PálidoSpanish
  • Kahvatu rebaneEstonian
  • sahelinkettuFinnish
  • Renard PâleFrench
  • Renard PâléFrench
  • שועל חיוורHebrew
  • fakórókaHungarian
  • Աֆրիկական աղվեսArmenian
  • Volpe pallidaItalian
  • Volpe africanaItalian
  • オグロスナギツネJapanese
  • 검은꼬리모래여우Korean
  • BlassrevNorwegian Bokmål
  • BleikrevNorwegian Bokmål
  • Oostelijke ZandvosDutch
  • Lis bladyPolish
  • Raposa-pálidaPortuguese
  • Африканская лисицаRussian
  • soluk tilkiTurkish
  • Лисиця блідаUkrainian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the pale fox

Other species in the same genus Vulpes.

LC, Least Concern
Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Red fox

Vulpes vulpes

Canidae

LC, Least Concern
Bengal fox (Vulpes bengalensis)

Bengal fox

Vulpes bengalensis

Canidae

LC, Least Concern
Cape fox (Vulpes chama)

Cape fox

Vulpes chama

Canidae

ComparePale fox vs Red foxPale fox vs Fennec foxPale fox vs Corsac foxPale fox vs Bengal fox

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the pale fox?

The pale fox is a mammal of the family Canidae, in the order Carnivora and genus Vulpes.

How heavy is a pale fox?

An adult pale fox weighs 2.8 kg, with weights up to 10.6 kg reported. It falls in the medium size class.

What does the pale fox eat?

The pale fox is a carnivore.

How long does a pale fox live?

The pale fox has a lifespan of 19.5 years, with values up to 21.8 years reported.

How many young does a pale fox have?

A pale fox litter averages 5.5 young, with 1 litter per year after a gestation of 62 days.

Is the pale fox nocturnal?

Yes. The pale fox is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Who named the pale fox?

The pale fox, Vulpes pallida, was named by Cretzschmar in 1826, written as (Cretzschmar, 1826).

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Pale fox (Vulpes pallida). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pale-fox

MLA

“Pale fox (Vulpes pallida).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pale-fox.

BibTeX
@misc{pale_fox_2026,
  title = {Pale fox (Vulpes pallida)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pale-fox},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}