Trivia question for Aug-11-2011

Olivia actually got to hand feed one of these with her brother this summer while visiting or friend Carmel at the Sawgrass Recreation Park in FL.  If they would have allowed them to take this cute guy home, they would have.

These guys have a life span of up to 12 years in the wild; its main predators include the Caracal and several varieties of Eagle Owl. Families of these guys dig out dens in sand for habitation and protection, which can be as large as 1,292 sq ft and adjoin the dens of other families. Their fur is prized by the indigenous peoples in their range and in some parts of the world, the animal is considered an exotic pet.

So here are Olivia’s questions:  Tell us what this cute little animal is and where they live?  Also, at rest, these guys breathes just over 20 times per minute, tell us how many short breaths they take per minute as they pant to lose body heat?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Nancy Martin from Athens, Georgia for being the first with the correct answer. The cute ‘big-eared’ critter we featured is the Fennec Fox. The Fennec Fox is a small nocturnal fox found in the Sahara of North Africa.

Its most distinctive feature is unusually large ears. The name “Fennec” comes from the Arabic word for fox, and the species name zerda has a Greek origin that refers to its habitat. The Fennec is the smallest species of canid in the world; coat, ears and kidney functions have adapted to a high-temperature, low-water, desert environment. In addition, its hearing is sensitive enough to hear prey moving underground.  While panting to dissipate heat, their breathing rate soars to almost 700 short breaths per minute.  Here is more on the cuddly little guys: Fennec Fox

Thanks for playing along 😉