These foxes were previously recognized in the genera Pseudalopex and Dusicyon.
Information on predation is not available. Humans frequently hunt these foxes, thinking that they destroy livestock. The pampas fox may fall prey to eagles or larger carnivores. Lycalopex gymnocercus individuals remain motionless when humans make an appearance, and may continue to remain motionless if physically molested. This may be an antipredator behavior in which the fox tries to avoid being eaten by pretending not to be there at all.
Known Predators:
Lycalopex gymnocercus is a medium-sized fox which has a brindled grey back with paler grey underparts. The head, neck and large ears are reddish, as are the outsides of the legs. The muzzle is black as far as the corners of the mouth, a feature that distinguishes them from the similar culpeo fox (Lycalopex culpaeus). Like other species in the genus, the long, bushy tail of L. gymnocercus has two black spots: one on the upper side at the base and another at the tip. These animals weigh between 4.2 and 6.5 kg, and average 62 cm in length. The tail length for Pampas Foxes averages about 34 cm. Males are approximately 10% heavier than females. Those animals in the northern part of their range are more vividly colored.
Range mass: 4.2 to 6.5 kg.
Average length: 62 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger
Pampas foxes live about 13.6 years in captivity.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.6 years.
These foxes are found in the pampas grasslands, hills, heath, ridges and deserts. They prefer plains and fields with tall grass, sierras, and small narrow wood areas along streams and occasionally forest areas.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; forest
Lycalopex gymnocercus, pampas foxes, are found in Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia and north of Rio Negro in Argentina.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Lycalopex gymnocercus is omnivorous, but primarily eats meat. Approximately 75% of the diet is comprised of equal percentages of rodents, lagomorphs (rabbits, hares, and pikas), and birds. These foxes are known to eat frogs and lizards. Fruits and other vegetable matter, like sugar cane stalks, are sometimes consumed. Near human dwellings they are said to take domestic poultry.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; reptiles
Plant Foods: fruit
Primary Diet: omnivore
The decline in L. gymnocercus populations has had an adverse affect on agriculture in parts of their range due to increases in rodents and other crop pests. It can reasonably be inferred from this that fox predation plays an important role in regulating the populations of prey animals.
These foxes are hunted and trapped for fur in several countries, including Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. They are captured most often with leg-hold traps, but also caught using bowls, box traps, and dogs. Because these foxes keep agricultural pest populations in check, they have a positive impact on agriculture.
Positive Impacts: body parts are source of valuable material; controls pest population
Sometimes these foxes kill young sheep or take domestic poultry.
Negative Impacts: household pest
See Reproduction.
In Brazil, where the species enjoys complete protection, there is no market for fur. Pampas foxes are protected in Paraguay and Uruguay, but controlled hunting continues in these two countries.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix ii; appendix iii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
This species is monogamous. It is not known whether these foxes retain the same mate in subsequent breeding seasons, as they are solitary outside of the breeding season.
Mating System: monogamous
Pampas foxes are usually solitary, but are seen in pairs during the mating season. Breeding is monogamous and occurs from July through October. Both parents care for the young. Gestation lasts from 55-60 days. Females bear three to five pups in a den among rocks, under bases of trees or in burrows made by other animals. Young are born almost black but gradually lighten as they grow. At two to three months, the young begin to hunt with their parents. Age at maturity is unknown. The male pampas fox brings food to the female and her pups, who stay within the den until the pups are about three months old. At this time, the pups begin to hunt with their parents.
Breeding interval: Breeding occurs once yearly.
Breeding season: Mating occurs between July and October.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 5.
Average number of offspring: 2.5.
Range gestation period: 55 to 60 days.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Females nurse the pups in the den. The male will provide food for the altricial pups and females at the den. Young stay at the den for the first three months, after which they hunt with parents.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)
The South American gray fox (Lycalopex griseus), also known as the Patagonian fox, the chilla or the gray zorro, is a species of Lycalopex, the "false" foxes. It is endemic to the southern part of South America.
The South American gray fox is a small fox-like canid, weighing 2.5 to 5.45 kilograms (5.5 to 12.0 lb), and measuring 65 to 110 centimetres (26 to 43 in) in length including a tail of 20 to 43 cm (8 to 17 in). The head is reddish-brown flecked with white. The ears are large and there is a distinct black spot on the chin. The pelage is brindled, with agouti guard hairs and a short, dense pale undercoat. The underparts are pale grey. The limbs are tawny and the thighs are crossed by a dark bar. The long, bushy tail has a dark dorsal stripe and dark tip with a paler, mottled underside.[4]
The South American gray fox is found in the Southern Cone of South America, particularly in Argentina and Chile. Its range comprises a stripe, both sides of the Andes Mountain Range between parallels 17ºS (northernmost Chile) and 54ºS (Tierra del Fuego).[2]
In Argentina, this species inhabits the western semiarid region of the country, from the Andean spurs (ca. 69ºW) to meridian 66ºW. South from the Río Grande, the distribution of the fox widens reaching the Atlantic coast. In Chile, it is present throughout the country. Its presence in Peru has been mentioned; to date, however, there has been no confirmation of it. The South American gray fox was introduced to the Falkland Islands in the late 1920s early 1930s and is still present in quite large numbers on Beaver and Weddell Islands plus several smaller islands.[2]
The South American gray fox occurs in a variety of habitats, from the warm, arid scrublands of the Argentine uplands and the cold, arid Patagonian steppe to the forests of southernmost Chile.[2]
The diet varies in different parts of its range and at different times of year. It consists mainly of mammals, birds, arthropods, bird eggs, reptiles, fruit and carrion. The main prey items seem to be small mammals, especially rodents. Fruits eaten include Cryptocarya alba, Lithraea caustica and Prosopanche spp.[5]
The South American gray fox breeds in early austral autumn, around March. After a gestation period of two months, two to four kits are born in a den. Not much else is recorded about its lifestyle.
The South American gray fox is a largely solitary animal that has long been hunted for its pelt. The foxes sometimes go near human habitations in search of food such as chickens and sheep, but tend to avoid areas visited by dogs. They are useful in their role as scavengers of carrion and as dispersers of the seeds of the fruit they eat.[6][7]
Where their ranges overlap, the South American gray fox is in competition with the larger culpeo fox. The former consumes a greater proportion of rodents, and arthropods make a significant portion of its diet, while the culpeo tends to consume larger prey, including the non-native European hare which has been introduced into Chile. These prey animals are partitioned between these two species, with the gray fox being excluded from the best prey territories by the larger culpeo.[8]
The South American gray fox (Lycalopex griseus), also known as the Patagonian fox, the chilla or the gray zorro, is a species of Lycalopex, the "false" foxes. It is endemic to the southern part of South America.
