# Pale fox (*Vulpes pallida*)

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

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.8 kg – 10.6 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 19.5 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 21.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 51 days – 62.1 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.49 |
| Age at maturity | 9 months – 10.3 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 pallida* (Cretzschmar, 1826)

Synonyms: *Canis pallidus*

## Common questions

### 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

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