Prague Zoo has a new litter of Bat-eared foxes. The first weeks of their lives involve snuggling close to mom within a safe underground burrow, but the quintuplets are now venturing out into their exhibit. The adult foxes in the zoo's Bat-eared Fox family must patiently endure love bites and playful attacks from their young during these first weeks.
Photo credit: Tomáš Adamec, Prague Zoo
| |
|
On Saturday, May 20, Como Zoo's Arctic Fox mom, Aurora, gave birth to 9 pups! While that might sound like a lot, Arctic Foxes have been known to give birth to litters of 19 pups or more!
Weighing-in between 1.8 and 2.2 ounces, the pups, also called kits, are resting with their mother and are not currently on public display. Zephyr, the papa, is proudly frolicking in his exhibit space. Pups are helpless and blind when first born. They nurse until they can eat solid food. Both parents care for the pups.
A full grown Arctic Fox is about 10 -16 inches long and weighs about 6-12 pounds. It has short legs and a long bushy tail that it uses like a fluffy scarf by wrapping it around itself when sleeping. Its long hair is white in the winter and "blue" or gray in the summer. Its head has a stubby muzzle, small ears, and large eyes. Its feet are lined with fur, which helps it conserve heat.
A pile of pups
| |
|
Meet Lulu and Roscoe, the Milwaukee County Zoo's newest Fennec Fox kits. Born January 27th, the cubs recently made their public debut accompanied by mom, Daisy, and father, Duke. Fennec foxes' oversized ears act like natural air conditioners, radiating heat away from their bodies and cooling their blood in the light desert breeze. Their ears also help detect tasty prey at night, including small insects scurrying nearly-silently atop the sand.
Keepers describe the kits as very playful, enjoying their toys and rough-housing with each other.
Photo credits: Milwaukee County Zoo
| |
|
Photo credits: Secret World Wildlife Rescue Center
An unsuspecting dog walker heard the tiny screams of this newborn Fox cub from within a thorny bramble bush in Weston-super-Mare, England and immediately notified Secret World Wildlife Rescue Center. Center Manager Sara Cowen was able to extract the tiny Fox from the thorn covered fox hole and rush him to an incubator on site. It is suspected that the cub's mother had to make a hasty escape from her den, leaving vulnerable Pedro behind. Cowen said, "He would almost certainly have died if we hadn’t found him so soon." Pedro is the smallest Fox ever to come into Secret World's care.
| |
|
Five Bat-eared fox kits - 4 males and 1 female - were born on May 4 in their den at the Oklahoma City Zoo. This was the first offspring for both of their parents and the first litter of bat-eared foxes born at the Zoo since 2005. The kits weigh approximately one to two pounds each.
Bat-eared foxes are primarily nocturnal and the kits are still spending the majority of their time inside the den and out of sight. Lucky Zoo visitors might catch them scurrying about their yard in the early morning or late evening hours as they start to get older and more active.
Bat-eared foxes can grow to be about 2 feet long and can weigh anywhere from six to 12 pounds. They are a sandy brown color with darker markings on their ears, nose, feet and tails. Their feet have claws perfectly suited for digging, whether going after a tasty insect or hollowing out a cozy burrow.
Photo Credit: Jaimee Flinchbaugh
In the wild, Bat-eared foxes live in the dry savannas and brush of eastern and southern Africa and are easily recognized by their huge 5-inch ears. These large lobes serve multiple purposes – they are full of blood vessels that help disperse heat and keep the fox cool, and they give them acute hearing for listening for their primary diet of insects. They can even hear the underground movement of a termite or beetle larvae!
| |
|
The Aquarium of the Pacific has welcomed two male six-week-old Arctic Fox pups that are now on view in the Aquarium’s Molina Animal Care Center. The two brothers are part of the Aquarium of the Pacific’s new Arctic & Antarctic: Our Polar Regions in Peril exhibition, which gives the public the opportunity to see polar animals up close while learning about what can be done to protect their habitats.
Photo credits: Aquarium of the Pacific
Arctic fox babies are called either pups or kits. A litter usually has about seven kits but may contain up to fifteen. The Arctic fox is an incredibly resilient animal that can live in temperatures as low as -59° F and as warm as temperatures we experience in Southern California. They are found in the Arctic and alpine tundra regions, from coastal Alaska and Greenland to Scandinavia and Russia.
Continue reading "New Arctic Fox Pups Arrive at Aquarium of the Pacific" »
| |
|
Dad keeps a watchful eye...
Note Mom's two-toned peepers...
| |
|
Last Friday, lensmen A.J. Haverkamp shot some great images of Zoo Duisburg's baby Arctic foxes. These canids are specially adapted for life in the frigid arctic with thick fur, a compact form, and a special circulation system in their paws. They also have keen hearing, which allows them to precisely locate prey beneath a layer of snow pack. They hunt by diving down beneath the snow and often emerge victorious!
Mom keeps a watchful eye from higher ground
Photo Credits: A.J. Haverkamp
| |
|
The Everland Zoo in Seoul, Korea is always full of surprises. This time, it's a pair of Bat-eared Fox pups photographed just days ago by In Cherl Kim. Bat-eared Foxes are mostly nocturnal animals that live in small groups consisting of mated pairs and their young. The pairs live in dens and typically raise two to five pups together. Mated pairs are very social and are monogamous, although it is unknown if they mate for life.
Photo Credits: In Cherl Kim
For daily updates from ZooBorns, join the thousands on Facebook and Twitter today!
| |
|
Red fox cubs apparently beget even more red fox cubs! The British Wildlife Centre in Surrey, England educates people about Britain's native wildlife and promotes conservation. These baby red foxes were born in March at the Centre and the pictures were taken April 5th.
An older cub from 2009 tolerates some attention below:
Special thanks to photographer PeterH81
| |
|
"Animal Babies Make Conservation Cute"
- New York Times
"ZooBorns pulls off the difficult task of being cute and interesting for people of all ages while also being informative. Many books seek this lofty goal but most fail."
- Seattle Post Intelligencer
Learn more
