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from the Nile, especially where there are hills. Otherwise it is found
throughout the Middle East, although it is absent from the heart of
the Great Sand Desert of the Arabian Peninsula.
Conservation Areas Virtually all throughout its range.
CORSAC FOX Vulpes corsac
Identification This species is similar to the Red Fox (V. vulpes), but
considerably smaller with a black tail tip. The tail is about half the
length of the head and body. The ears are fairly small compared with
those of other regional foxes; they are either ochre-grey or reddish-
brown on the back surfaces. In winter the Corsac Fox’s fur is long
and greyish straw-white in colour, but in summer it is short and buff-
rufous. Its underparts are white to pale yellowish-white.
Size Shoulder height 30 cm.
Weight 2–2.5 kg.
Habitat and Behaviour Corsac Foxes occupy open steppe country
and avoid areas with closed vegetation and mountain ranges. They are
opportunistic feeders that will take a wide range of animal food, with
small and medium-sized rodents making up the bulk of their prey, and
will readily scavenge from carcasses and human refuse and waste. They
are both nocturnal and crepuscular, and live as life-time mated pairs.
Mating takes place during January–March, with the first births occurring
in March and the majority in April after an estimated gestation of about
56 days. The newborn pups, 2–10 a litter, each weigh 60 g.
Distribution and Status In the region the Corsac Fox only occurs in the
Gorgan-Turkoman steppe region in Iran, along the Turkmenistan and
Afghanistan borders. Elsewhere it occurs throughout the high country of
southern-central Asia. It is heavily hunted, especially for its winter pelt.
Conservation Areas None known.
BLANFORD’S FOX Vulpes cana
Identification This is a very small, attractive fox with a long and
extremely bushy tail that is nearly always black-tipped (in about 20
per cent of the south-eastern Arabian population the tip is white). The
body hair is soft, dense and brownish-grey in colour, fading to pale
yellow on the belly and richer yellow-fawn on the face. The dorsal coat
has a liberal sprinkling of white hairs, giving it a silvery appearance
from a distance. Iranian populations are greyer than Arabian ones. The
muzzle is sharply pointed with distinctive black markings, and the inner
edges of the large ears are lined with white hairs. This is the only fox in
the region with semi-retractile claws to aid climbing.
Size Shoulder height <25 cm.