Sechuran fox
Lycalopex sechurae (Thomas, 1900)
The sechuran fox (Lycalopex sechurae) is a mammal of the family Canidae in the order Carnivora, placed in the genus Lycalopex. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial and nocturnal carnivore with an adult body mass of 4.234 kg.
.jpg){kind=link}
Quick facts about the sechuran fox
The IUCN Red List assesses the sechuran fox as Near Threatened (NT) globally, which is not an IUCN threatened category. Its lifespan is given as 9.9 years, and it is also called the Sechura fox, Sechuran zorro and Peruvian desert fox.
- Weight
- 3.6 kg – 4.23 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 9.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- desertsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the sechuran fox
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the sechuran fox live?
Not recorded
What is the sechuran fox?
The Sechuran fox (Lycalopex sechurae), also called the Peruvian desert fox or the Sechuran zorro, is a small South American species of canid closely related to other South American "false" foxes or zorro. It gets its name for being found in the Sechura Desert in northwestern Peru.
It is one of ten extant species of canid endemic to South America. This fox inhabits a narrow region west of the Andes Mountains running along the coastline of Peru and southern Ecuador. More specifically, in dry areas such as savannah-like deserts, cliff-sides, along the western side of the Andes mountains, and beaches. The Sechuran Fox is known by the common names Sechura desert fox and Peruvian desert fox. The etymology of its scientific name comes from the Greek "lycos" meaning "wolf", and "alopex" meaning "fox". Before it was classified under Lycalopex, the Sechuran fox was classed under the Dusicyon genus established by Oldfield Thomas in 1914, and was later moved to the Pseudalopex (meaning "false fox") genus by A. Langguth in 1975.
The Sechuran fox is one of the many canid species that evolved from the ancestral canid(s) in the Miocene era. Through the rapid radiation of South American canids, the Sechuran fox has evolved some traits that have possibly lent themselves to the species' survival, and which aid in distinguishing them from other members of this genus. While there is not currently a thorough understanding of this species' evolution, some recent studies have produced notable contributions to this endeavor.
A total population estimate is not currently specified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but one 2022 study estimates it to be around 5,000. The main threats to this species currently are anthropogenic; largely habitat destruction through deforestation, and hunting (though to a smaller extent).
From the Wikipedia article “Sechuran fox” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sechuran_fox&oldid=1381286406), 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 sechuran fox endangered?
The sechuran fox is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the sechuran fox classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyCanidae
- genusLycalopex
- SpeciesLycalopex sechurae (Thomas, 1900)
Synonyms Canis sechurae, Dusicyon sechurae, Pseudalopex sechurae
Other names and names in other languages (42)
- Peruvian desert foxEnglish
- Peruvian desert foxEnglish
- Sechura desert foxEnglish
- Sechura foxEnglish
- Sechura foxEnglish
- Sechuran desert foxEnglish
- Sechuran desert foxEnglish
- Sechuran zorroEnglish
- ثعلب ساخوراArabic
- ثعلب صحراء البيروArabic
- Rabosa de SechuraAragonese
- pes pouštníCzech
- PerufuchsGerman
- SechurafuchsGerman
- Αλεπού του ΠερούGreek
- JuancitoSpanish
- AñanguSpanish
- Pacha ZorroSpanish
- Perro De Monte De SechuraSpanish
- Zorra PamperaSpanish
- Zorro CosteñoSpanish
- Zorro De SechuraSpanish
- Zorro del desierto peruanoSpanish
- atamarankettuFinnish
- Renard De SechuraFrench
- renard du désert australFrench
- dél-amerikai rókaHungarian
- Pseudovolpe di SechuraItalian
- セチュラギツネJapanese
- 세츄란조로Korean
- 세츄런여우Korean
- 페루사막여우Korean
- SechurarevNorwegian Bokmål
- Peruviaanse WoestijnvosDutch
- Lis sechuraPolish
- nibylis drobnozębnyPolish
- Raposa-do-deserto-peruanaPortuguese
- Raposa-do-deserto-peruanoPortuguese
- AtoqQuechua
- Секуранская лисицаRussian
- Сечуранская лисицаRussian
- Peru çöl tilkisiTurkish
Relatives of the sechuran fox
Other species in the same genus Lycalopex.
Culpeo
Lycalopex culpaeus
Pampas fox
Lycalopex gymnocercus
Hoary fox
Lycalopex vetulus
Darwin's fox
Lycalopex fulvipes
South American gray fox
Lycalopex griseus
CompareSechuran fox vs CulpeoSechuran fox vs Pampas foxSechuran fox vs Hoary foxSechuran fox vs Darwin's 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 sechuran fox?
The sechuran fox is a mammal in the family Canidae, within the order Carnivora and suborder Caniformia.
How heavy is the sechuran fox?
The sechuran fox has an adult body mass of 4.234 kg, placing it in the medium size class (1 to 25 kg).
What does the sechuran fox eat?
The sechuran fox is a carnivore.
Is the sechuran fox endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List lists the sechuran fox as Near Threatened (NT), which is not an IUCN threatened category.
How long does the sechuran fox live?
The sechuran fox has a lifespan of 9.9 years.
Is the sechuran fox active at night?
Yes. The sechuran fox is nocturnal and terrestrial.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Sechuran fox (Lycalopex sechurae). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sechuran-fox
“Sechuran fox (Lycalopex sechurae).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sechuran-fox.
@misc{sechuran_fox_2026,
title = {Sechuran fox (Lycalopex sechurae)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sechuran-fox},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}