Origin
Culpeo Fox is a common species in South America, is not in danger of extinction, belongs to the order Carnivora, family Canidae. It can be found from Ecuador, Peru to the southern part of the Paragonia and Tierra del Fuero regions. Specimens have also been seen in the southern part of Colombia.
In the American Pampas and deciduous forests of mountainous regions the Fox is threatened by habitat destruction. Many specimens live in the Andes Mountains in the western parts, reaching very high altitudes between 1000-4500 m. it prefers more rare forests and areas with tall shrubs and grasses, less is found in dense forests.
In the literature it is also known as culpeo zorro or Andean fox (wolf). Because it belongs to the family canidae many classify it as a wild dog. It is the second largest native animal on the continent after the Wolf.
Feeding The Culpeo Fox
Being a carnivorous animal its favorite food consists of rodents, birds, rabbits, sheep, lambs, berries and insects. According to researchers, 30% of his diet is made up of plants and the rest is made up of meat.
The Culpeo Fox is an opportunistic predator that is not picky and accepts almost any variety of prey.
Appearance Culpeo Fox
The cupeo Fox is a rather large carnivorous animal, considered the largest Fox in South America, in adulthood it can have a body length of 60-120 cm, in some parts even 90-165cm and weight of 5-1.5 kg,as in some parts 8kg females and 11kg males.
Males are always larger than females and weigh 15% more. The appearance of this Fox resembles that of the other species, and in terms of aggressiveness it is considered the largest predator in the geographical area where it lives, of course after the Wolf and wild dog.
It has the entire body covered with thick fur in shades of gray-gray colors on the dorsal side, light tan on the ventral side, reddish in the area of the thighs and on the head. The forelimbs and hind limbs are robust rather long, covered with reddish fur and only on the back with lighter stripes.
The tail is 30-45 cm long, tamed Reddish and with a black tip. The head is large, the snout long and pointed, and the ears large with hair on the inside and outside, kept straight up.
The eyes are large with Black Iris, visual acuity is very developed like the other senses – olfactory and auditory.
Its powerful jaws with sharp teeth indicate that this Fox is a greedy predator of smaller animals living in the same area.
Lycalopex culpaeus andinus
Lycalopex culpaeus culpaeus
Lycalopex culpaeus lycoides
Lycalopex culpaeus magellanicus
Lycalopex culpaeus reissii
Lycalopex culpaeus smithersi
Culpeo Fox Behavior
He has a habit of attacking domestic animals-birds and lambs.
This makes it hunted in the area where it lives being considered by people a harmful animal and at the same time with a very beautiful fur – much treasured by them.
At the same time the cupeo Fox has an important role for agricultural crops, it manages the large number of rodents that destroy crops by always hunting them greedily.
Breeding The Culpeo Fox
These foxes do not live solitary but in pairs, they build burrows, the males fight each other during the mating season for the choice of the female. They are territorial animals, establish an area and mark it with droppings, then letting no intruder approach.
The breeding season is autumn, from august to the end of October. The gestation period in the female is 2 months, after which she can give birth to 2 to 8 small, blind and helpless cubs.
The Cubs have a light cream color that camouflages them very well in the environment from the attack of predators. They are breastfed by the mother for a period of 4-5 weeks, then fed with food like adults, they grow very quickly, only after a year they reach the weight of 7-9 kg.
They are estimated to live about 10 years in the wild and around 15 years in captivity.
