Mw3 Fennec

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Thefennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is a small crepuscular fox native to the deserts of North Africa, ranging from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula.[1] Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat and listen for underground prey. The fennec is the smallest fox species. Its coat, ears, and kidney functions have adapted to the desert environment with high temperatures and little water. It mainly eats insects, small mammals and birds. The fennec has a life span of up to 14 years in captivity and about 10 years in the wild. Its main predators are the Verreaux's eagle-owl, jackals and other large mammals. Fennec families dig out burrows in the sand for habitation and protection, which can be as large as 120 m2 (1,300 sq ft) and adjoin the burrows of other families. Precise population figures are not known but are estimated from the frequency of sightings; these indicate that the fennec is currently not threatened by extinction. Knowledge of social interactions is limited to information gathered from captive animals. The fennec's fur is prized by the indigenous peoples of North Africa, and it is considered an exotic pet in some parts of the world.

The fennec fox is distributed throughout the Sahara, from Morocco and Mauritania to northern Sudan, through Egypt and its Sinai Peninsula.[1] It inhabits small sand dunes and vast treeless sand areas with sparse vegetation such as grasses, sedges and small shrubs.[4][5]

Fennec foxes are primarily nocturnal, displaying heightened activity during the cooler nighttime hours.[6] This behaviour helps them escape the extreme Saharan heat and reduces water loss through panting.[7] A fennec fox digs its den in sand, either in open areas or places sheltered by plants with stable sand dunes. In compacted soils, dens are up to 120 m2 (1,300 sq ft) large, with up to 15 different entrances. In some cases, different families interconnect their dens, or locate them close together. In soft, looser sand, dens tend to be simpler with only one entrance leading to a single chamber.[4]

The fennec fox is omnivorous, feeding on small rodents, lizards (geckos and skinks), small birds and their eggs, insects, fruits, leaves, roots and also some tubers.[9] It relies on the moisture content of prey, but drinks water when available.[4]It hunts alone and digs in the sand for small vertebrates and insects. Some individuals were observed to bury prey for later consumption and searching for food in the vicinity of human settlements.[10]

In the Algerian Sahara, 114 scat samples were collected that contained more than 400 insects, plant fragments and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruits, remains of birds, mammals, squamata and insects.[11]

Fennec foxes mate for life.[12] Captive fennec foxes reach sexual maturity at around nine months and mate between January and April.[13][14] Female fennec foxes are in estrus for an average of 24 hours and usually breed once per year; the copulation tie lasts up to two hours and 45 minutes.[15] Gestation usually lasts between 50 and 52 days, though sometimes up to 63 days.[16][17] After mating, the male becomes very aggressive and protects the female, and provides her with food during pregnancy and lactation.[18] Females give birth between March and June to a litter of one to four pups that open their eyes after 8 to 11 days.[17][14] Both female and male care for the pups. They communicate by barking, purring, yapping and squeaking. Pups remain in the family even after a new litter is born.[13] The pups are weaned at the age of 61 to 70 days.[19] Adults rear pups until they are around 16 to 17 weeks old.[12] The oldest captive male fennec fox was 14 years old, and the oldest female 13 years.[4]

Captive fennec foxes are susceptible to canine distemper virus, displaying fever, mucopurulent ocular discharge, diarrhea, severe emaciation, seizures, generalized ataxia, severe dehydration, brain congestion, gastric ulcers and death. Stress because of capture and long-distance transportation are thought to be the causes.[20]

African horned owl species such as the Pharaoh eagle-owl prey on fennec fox pups. Anecdotal reports exist about caracals, jackals, and striped hyenas also preying on the fennec fox. But according to nomads, the fennec fox is fast and changes directions so well that even their Salukis are hardly ever able to capture it.[4]

In North Africa, the fennec fox is commonly trapped for exhibition or sale to tourists. Expansion of permanent human settlements in southern Morocco caused its disappearance in these areas and restricted it to marginal areas.[1]

As of 2015, the fennec fox is classified as Least concern on the IUCN Red List.[1] It is listed in CITES Appendix II and is protected in Morocco and Western Sahara, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, where it has been documented in several protected areas.[1]

The fennec fox is bred commercially as an exotic pet.[10] Commercial breeders remove the pups from their mother to hand-raise them, as tame foxes are more valuable. A breeders' registry has been set up in the United States to avoid any problems associated with inbreeding.[21]

Fennec foxes dwell in the sandy Sahara and elsewhere in North Africa. Their nocturnal habits help them deal with the searing heat of the desert environment, and some physical adaptations help as well.

These foxes dwell in small communities, each inhabited by perhaps ten individuals. Like other canids, male fennecs mark their territory with urine and become aggressive competitors when mating season arrives each year.

Fennec foxes are opportunistic eaters. They forage for plants but also eat rodents, eggs, reptiles, and insects. Like most desert dwellers, the fennec fox has developed the ability to go for long periods without water.

These foxes are cream-colored with black-tipped tails. Their adorable appearance makes them favorites of the captive pet trade, and local peoples also hunt the fennec fox for its fur. Little is known about the status of wild fennec fox populations.

These foxes are adapted to life in the desert. They have the largest ears relative to their body size of any member of the canid family, which they use to dispel heat and track down prey underneath the sand. They are also the palest of all foxes, giving them excellent camouflage. Heavily furred paws provide traction when running in the sand while also offering protection from the extreme heat of the terrain. Fennec foxes are also capable of going for long periods without consuming water; they are able to hydrate through the food they consume.

Fennec foxes are territorial, and mark their terrain with urine and feces. Vocalizations among these foxes are common, and can manifest as whimpers, barks, shrieks, squeaks, growls, howls or chatters.

Nocturnal animals, fennec foxes will hide out in burrows during daylight to avoid the hottest portion of the day. They create the burrows themselves, often digging out a series of tunnels that can reach up to 32 feet (10 meters) in length. It is not uncommon for these dens to have multiple entrances and exits to provide a safe escape in the event of an outside threat.

Fennec foxes typically give birth to one litter of pups per year, with between two and five young in a litter. During the four to six weeks of rutting season, males can become extremely aggressive and will mark their territory with urine. Females will go into estrus for one to two days, and following copulation the gestation period lasts between 50 and 53 days. Males defend females before and during birth, and will provide food to the female until the pups are about 4 weeks old. Young are born fully furred but blind; their eyes open after eight to 11 days, and they are able to walk at about 2 weeks. Pups usually nurse for their first 10 weeks of life and become mature at 9 to 11 months.

The primary threat to fennec foxes is human interference. They are commonly trapped for exhibition or sale to tourists, and there have been limited instances of human settlements encroaching on fennec populations. Native populations in the Sahara region also hunt fennec foxes.

Fennec ShandBiographical informationHomeworldIn the Mid Rim Territories[1]Descriptive informationSpeciesHuman[2]GenderFemale[3]PronounsShe/her[2]Height1.63 meters[4]Hair colorBlack[2]Eye colorBrown[2]Skin colorTan[2]CyberneticsAbdomen[5]Chronological and political informationAffiliation(s)Kaminoan government (as a mercenary)[6]Hutt Clan[2]Fett gotra[7][Source]

Fennec Shand was a human female bounty hunter, elite mercenary, and Master Assassin who worked for the top crime syndicates during the age of the Galactic Empire. Skilled and ruthless, Shand worked her way up the criminal underworld during the beginning of the Empire's reign, becoming renowned and gaining a reputation as a cunning and elite mercenary. After the fall of the Empire and the imprisonment of many of her employers, Shand went on the run. Though hunted down and left for dead, fate would intervene and she was rescued by Boba Fett.

Entering the bounty hunter scene shortly after the birth of the Galactic Empire, Fennec Shand quickly proved her merit, and began taking lucrative jobs. One of her earliest bounties was a direct commission for the young clone Omega, for whose bounty Shand clashed with veteran hunter Cad Bane. Though her commission ended without the capture of Omega, Shand went on to become a high-profile assassin for the leading criminal syndicates of the galactic underworld, including the Hutt Clan. After the destruction of the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War, many of Shand's top employers were imprisoned by the New Republic and she was left without vital lines of work. Shand found herself a fugitive from justice and escaped to the Outer Rim world Tatooine.

Now being tracked by bounty hunters herself, Shand hid out in the deserts of Tatooine and avoided capture for some time before two hunters, the Mandalorian Din Djarin and the rookie Toro Calican, located her and led an assault to take her down. Though she managed to stall them, the two gained the upper hand and took the once-great assassin captive. Shand tried to negotiate her release with Calican but, after she managed to convince him to turn on Djarin, the rookie shot Shand and left her to die. She was discovered by the renowned bounty hunter Boba Fett, who then saved her life. Indebted to Fett, Shand began work as his partner in crime.

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