THE CAPE FOX

The Cape fox, also called the "asse", "cama fox" or the "silver-backed fox" is a small-sized, lightly built Canid, with slender legs. It is also called a South African version of a fennec fox due to its similarly big ears. Coat is soft, silver gray on the back and reddish brown to pale tawny brown on the flanks and underside. Molting period from October to December. Neck, legs and chest are lighter, from a pale reddish brown to almost white. Dark coloring around the mouth. Large pointed ears, reddish brown on the back, with an inner white fringe. Pointed muzzle, light in color. Hind limbs have a dark brown patch on the back of the thighs. Paws are pale fawn to reddish. Tail is long and bushy, darker than the rest of the body, with a dark patch over the caudal gland, and a black tip. Females are slightly smaller than males, with 3 pairs of mammae.

The ears are relatively large and sharp, the muzzle is small and pointed. Pelage colour is silvery-gray, tawny at the back of the ears, with white hairs appearing around the side of the pinna in the center. The colour of the neck and sides is lighter, and the underparts are pale tawny to pale buff. The head is dull red and the lower jaw is dark brown. There are white marks on the throat. The legs are more tawny than the rest of the body. The tail is dense and bushy, and can be silvery, pale fawn, buff with brown or black tips, or dull yellow. The tail tip is always black, and there's a dark spot over the caudal gland.

The Cape Fox is the only true Fox in the southern hemisphere on Africa. The Bat-Eared Fox is similar in size, but its coat is more bushy and silvery gray, with larger dark-backed ears, and black legs.

About the species

Reproduction and behavior

Gestation: 50-53 days.
Young per birth: 1-6, usually 3.
Weaning: 112 days.
Sexual maturity: 9 months.
Life span: From 6 to 10 years.
Breeding season: All the year, but specially between August and October.

The adult female remains with newborn young in an excavated or adapted burrow, and is provisioned by the adult male. Pups begin to forage with the female at about 16 weeks, become independent of her at about 21 weeks, and disperse after 9 months of age. The Cape Fox is monogamous.

Diet and interaction with the environment

Their diet consist primarily small rodents, but also insects, birds, reptiles, hares, springhares, and fruit (bluebush berries); they also eat carrion when available, and may sometimes prey on newborn lambs. Main predators: Black-Backed Jackal, caracal, leopard. Mainly nocturnal, although youngsters are known to play outside the den during the day. It can be spotted during the early mornings and early evenings.

The Cape fox is territorial, based on high site fidelity and low overlap of home ranges between neighboring Foxes. Female-based social organization, with female-biased dispersal. Territories are maintained by frequent marking. Home ranges are 1 to 30 km2 , with differences in size based on food resources and Black-Backed Jackal density. Densities are inversely related to Black-Backed Jackal densities, due to the high predation and spatial displacement of Cape Foxes by Jackals. It can dig its own hole, but prefers to use existing dens that were dug by another species like the springhare. When attacked, it will growl and spit at its opponent; it will raise its tail whenever excited. It is normally silent, but communicates with chirps, calls, or by whining. A high-pitched howl, answered by the mate with a bark, is probably a long-range contact call, or an advertisement that an area is occupied. A bark is also used as an alarm call. Facial expressions, but not tail positions, play a prominent role in communication.

Although a normally silent fox, the Cape fox is known to communicate with soft calls, whines or chirps. However, it will utter a loud bark when alarmed. A long-range vocalization of yelps or yapping barks has been described, but Cape foxes apparently do not howl. When in an aggressive mood, the Cape fox is known to growl and spit at its attacker. They may use other forms of communication, such as facial expressions and tail posturing; to show its excitement, the fox lifts its tail, the height of the tail often indicating the measure of excitement.

Habitat:

Native to Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Eswatini (Swaziland). Widespread in the central and western regions of South Africa, reaching to southwestern Angola. It has recently expanded its range, reaching the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines. Status in Eswatini is uncertain, but they may occur in the south. Not confirmed from Lesotho. It is the only "true fox" occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, and it retains primitive characteristics of Vulpes because it diverged early in the evolutionary history of the group.

Their habitat consists in open arid country, grassland with scattered thickets, and lightly wooded areas, particularly in the dry Karoo regions, the Kalahari and the fringes of the Namib Desert. Also penetrate moderately dense vegetation in lowland fynbos in the Cape region, as well as extensive agricultural lands. Not found in forested areas.

Conservation status: Least Concern. Regional status: Least Concern (South Africa). Common across much of its range. Estimated population of 50,000-100,000. Illegal use of agricultural poisons on commercial farms poses the main threat. Treated as a vermin across most of its range, but partially protected in several South African provinces. Habitat loss doesn't appear to be a major factor influencing the conservation status of the Cape fox; in some regions, changing agricultural practices have resulted in range extensions for this species. As these foxes are presumed to prey on livestock, in particular lambs, they are commonly target by farmers.

These control measures do not seem to have had a major impact on populations of the Cape fox, even though they have resulted in declines in some areas. They also often succumb to diseases such as rabies and canine distemper, and a large number of Cape foxes are killed on the road by vehicles. Many are hunted and persecuted as vermin. About 2,500 individuals are killed yearly; which is approximately 16% of the population. Nonetheless, populations of V. chama are currently stable across their entire geographic range.