Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A small African fox; a fennec. The name is applied to two very different animals:
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) The fennec.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun archaic The
fennec .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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They include Asiatic or golden jackal Canis aureus, fennec fox Fennecus zerda (K), Rüppells sand fox Vulpes rüppelli (K), caracal Felis caracal and sand cat Felis margarita (K).
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Other carnivores have also declined greatly in the ecoregion since the 1960s, including the fennec fox (Fennecus zerda) and the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena barbara, DD).
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Fennec fox (vulpes zerda, fenek berbersky) from ZOO Dvur Kralove nad Labem, Czech republic
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Mammals include about 200 dorcas gazelle Gazella dorcas (V), mostly on the Ile de Tidra, jackal Canis aureus, fennec fox Fennecus zerda (K), sand fox Vulpes rueppelli (K), sand cat Felis margarita (K), African wildcat Felis lybica, genet Genetta genetta, African striped weasel Poecilogale albinucha (Poecilictis lybica?), ratel Mellivora capensis and striped hyena Hyaena hyaena.
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Notable terrestrial fauna include the Dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas VU), golden jackal (Canis aureus), fennec fox (Fennecus zerda), sand fox (Vulpes rueppelli), sand cat (Felis margarita), ratel (Mellivora capensis), and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena LR/DD).
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Small mammals and their predators are also abundant,, including hyrax (Procavia capensis), brown hare (Lepus capensis), spiny mouse (Acomys spp.), large North African gerbil (Gerbillus campestris), Nigerian gerbil (G. nigeriae), bushy-tailed jird (Sekeetamys calurus) and three different fox species, Rueppel's sandfox (Vulpes rueppelli), sand fox (Vulpes pallida) and Fennec fox (Fennecus zerda).
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The fennec fox Fennecus zerda has been seen, and mammals found in the WRPA which might occasionally occur are north African jackal Canis aureus lupaster, red fox Vulpes aegyptiaca, Rüppell’s fox V. rueppeli, Egyptian mongoose Herpestes ichneumon, African wildcat Felis sylvestris lybica, and dorcas gazelle Gazella dorcas. 19 reptiles and 36 breeding birds are recorded for the WRPA, mostly attracted by the lakes.
vanishedone commented on the word zerda
The fennec fox is vulpes zerda. The OED gives as etymology for zerda 'So called by the "Moors" (Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps Handlingar, 1777, XXXVIII. 265)', but there's a Web page which suggests (without a source) it's ' from the Greek "xeros", which means dry, describing their habitat'.
September 28, 2008