Darwin's fox[1] | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Canidae |
Genus: | Lycalopex |
Species: | L. fulvipes
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Binomial name | |
Lycalopex fulvipes (Martin, 1837)
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Darwin's fox range[contradictory] | |
Synonyms | |
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Darwin's fox or Darwin's zorro (Lycalopex fulvipes) is an endangered canid from the genus Lycalopex. It is also known as the zorro chilote or zorro de Darwin[2] in Spanish and lives in Nahuelbuta National Park, the Cordillera de Oncol, Cordillera Pelada in mainland Chile and Chiloé Island.[4] This small, dark canine weighs 1.8 to 3.95 kg (4.0 to 8.7 lb), has a head-and-body length of 48 to 59 cm (19 to 23 in) and a tail that is 17.5 to 25.5 cm (7 to 10 in).[5] Darwin's fox displays no key differences between male and female other than the fact that the male has a broader muzzle.[6] Males display no territorial behavior and are not aggressive towards other males roaming around their territory.[6]
Darwin's fox was first collected from San Pedro Island off the coast of Chile by the naturalist Charles Darwin, in 1834, hence, the name- Darwin's Fox. It was long held that Darwin's fox was a subspecies of the South American gray fox (L. griseus); however, the discovery of a small population of Darwin's fox on the mainland in Nahuelbuta National Park, in 1990[7] and subsequent genetic analysis has clarified the fox's status as a unique species.[8] In 2012 and 2013, the presence of the Darwin's fox at Oncol Park, Alerce Costero National Park and the Valdivian Coastal Reserve was confirmed through camera trapping.[4]
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