Fennec foxes live in the northern sandy deserts and arid regions of Africa where desert grasses or scrub vegetation provides for good hunting and foraging.

The pads on fennec fox paws are covered in fur so they do not burn on the hot sands of their Sahara desert home.

While not endangered, fennec fox populations are threatened due to the pet and fur trade, habitat loss, and climate change.

Fennec foxes have the largest ear-to-body ratio of any canid species. Their ears can grow up to 6 inches long, which is a third of their body size.

Like elephants, their large ears (that we like to call “ear-conditioners”) help them keep cool thanks to vessels that dissipate heat.

Fennec foxes are omnivores and eat a variety of food, including desert plants, rodents, and insects, such as scorpions, locusts, grasshoppers, and beetles.

They get the majority of their water through their diet and their kidneys are adapted to conserve water from their food.