I hope that you enjoyed this video of Arnold – what an engaging fellow he is – isn’t he?

Today I would like to introduce

you to the Fennec Fox, an animal that I had never known existed ( I don’t know everything…lol).  I was on G+ and saw an image of this little fellow which you can see below.

I have to admit that when I first saw this picture I mistakenly thought it was a cat and with so many #caterday images, I am sure I can be forgiven this once. The reality is this little fellow is of the dog family and he has very big ears  ( they are laid back in this photo).

The scientific name for the Fennec Fox is…ready for it?  Vulpes zerda (formerly Fennecus zerda) and in captivity they can live from 12 – 16 yrs old.

They are truly are little animals being 16-18 inches in length and about 8- 10 inches tall and while they are  native to the desert areas of North Africa as seen on the  map below, there are many people who like to keep them as pets.

Here is a bit of trivia for you…why do the Fennec foxes have such large ears?  Glad you asked – Their enormous ears ( up to 6 inches long) are used to dissipate body heat to allow the fox to cool off in their natrual habitat – now you know!

While they seem to be not an endangered species little is known about status of the wild Fennec.  Having them as a pet would sure be tempting for some people, but be aware that they need a lot of supervision as they are very social and need lots and lots of attention.

If you are interested in understanding these animals and are wanting one as a pet, then it would be prudent to read -

Fennec Foxes

One last picture to make you go awwwww