MundoAndino Home : Andes Chile Guide at Mundo Andino
Darwin's Fox
'''Darwin's Foxor Darwin's Zorro'(Pseudalopex fulvipes) is a small endangered canine from the genus Pseudalopex''. Darwin's Fox was first collected from Chiloe Island off the coast of Chile by the naturalist Charles Darwin in 1834. It was long held that Darwin's Fox was a subspecies of the Grey zorro (P. griseus); however, the discovery of a small population of Darwin's Fox on the mainland in Nahuelbuta National Park in 1990Medel, R.G. et al. 1990. Discovery of a continental population of the rare Darwin Fox, Dusicyon fulvipes in Chile. Biological Conservation 51:71-77 and subsequent genetic analysis has clarified the fox's status as a unique species.Yahnke, C.J. et al. 1996. Darwin's Fox: A Distinct Endangered Species in a Vanishing Habitat. Conservation Biology 10:366-375
Taxonomy and evolution
Pseudaloplex is a South American genus of canine distantly related to wolves and is technically not a fox. When Charles Darwin collected a specimen from Chiloe Island, he observed that it was distinct from the species, P. culpaeus and P. griseus, that occur on the mainland. Darwin's Fox does not interbreed with the other Pseudalopex species, only lives in forests, and is smaller and darker-colored than the other species. It was not until a small population of Darwin's Fox was found on the mainland in the forested Nahuelbuta National Park and subsequent genetic analysis was performed, that the Darwin's Fox was confirmed as a distinct species.
In the late Pleistocene, Chiloe Island was connected to mainland Chile by a
land bridge. The land bridge was severed about 15,000 years ago when the sea level rose following the last glaciationVillagran, C. 1988. Late Quaternary vegetation of Southern Isla Grande de Chiloe, Chile. Quaternary Research 29: 294306. This created two isolated populations of Darwin's Fox.
Physical description
Darwin's fox has a dark brown coat with red areas on its head and face, and it has shorter legs than the mainland foxes, and weighs 2-4 kg, much smaller than the P. griseus which weighs between 5-10 kgYahnke, C.J. et al. 1996. Darwin's Fox: A Distinct Endangered Species in a Vanishing Habitat. Conservation Biology 10:366-375.
Ecology
Darwin's fox is generally believed to be a forest obligate species found only in southern temperate rainforests. They only occur in forested areas on Chiloe and on the mainland. They are most active at twilight and before sunrise.
Conservation status
It is believed that there are only 250 Darwin's foxes on Chiloe Island and up to 70 on the mainland, and they are listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union. Fragmentation of forest adjacent to National Parks is a concern for their conservation and dogs in the Parks may be the greatest conservation threat in the form of potential vectors of disease or direct attack.
Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Fauna of Chile or help others to find answers.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Darwin's Fox
