Lycalopex griseus (Information about this image)
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Laurasiatheria
Cladus: Scrotifera
Cladus: Ferungulata
Cladus: Ferae
Cladus: Pancarnivora
Cladus: Carnivoramorpha
Cladus: Carnivoraformes
Ordo: Carnivora
Subordo: Caniformia
Familia: Canidae
Genera: Lycalopex
Species: Lycalopex griseus
Name
Lycalopex griseus (Gray, 1837)
Type locality: "Magellan", listed in Cabrera (1957) as "Costa del Estrecho de Magallanes" [Chile].
Synonyms
Pseudalopex griseus (Gray, 1837)
Vulpes griseus Gray, 1837
Lycalopex gracilis (Burmeister, 1861)
Canis gracilis Burmeister, 1854
References
Gray, J. E. 1837. Mag. Nat. Hist. [Charlesworth's], 1: 578.
Lycalopex griseus in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
IUCN: Pseudalopex griseus (Gray, 1837) (Least Concern)
Lycalopex griseus (Gray, 1837) – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Vernacular names
Deutsch: Argentinische Kampfuchs, Patagonischer Fuchs
English: South American Gray Fox
español: Zorro gris o chilla
français: Renard gris d’Argentine, Renard de Patagonie
polski: Lis argentyński
português: Raposa-cinzenta-argentina
русский: Южноамериканская серая лисица, Аргентинская серая лисица
Türkçe: Arjantin gri tilkisi
The South American gray fox (Lycalopex griseus), also known as the Patagonian fox, the chilla or zorro gris (gray fox or gray zorro), is a South American species of Lycalopex (the "false" or lesser foxes) in the Canidae family, which includes dogs, wolves, jackals, coyotes and foxes, among other canids. It is endemic to the southern parts of Argentina and Chile, primarily Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego.
Description
Couple found near Lonquimay volcano, Araucanía Region, Chile
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]
Range and habitat
The South American gray fox is found in Argentina and Chile in the Southern Cone of South America. Its range comprises stripes on 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]
Diet
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]
Reproduction
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.
Interaction with environment
A chilla in Pan de Azucar National Park in the coast of Atacama Desert.
Urban
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]
Country
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]
References
Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
Lucherini, M. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Lycalopex griseus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T6927A111975602. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T6927A86440397.en. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
"Lycalopex griseus (mammal)". Global Invasive Species Database. Invasive Species Specialist Group. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
Claudio Sillero-Zubiri; Michael Hoffmann; David Whyte Macdonald (2004). "South American gray fox" (PDF). Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN. pp. 56–63. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
Peterson, L. (2011). "Lycalopex griseus: Culpeo". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
SILVA-RODRÍGUEZ, EDUARDO A.; ORTEGA-SOLÍS, GABRIEL R.; JIMÉNEZ, JAIME E. (2010). "Conservation and ecological implications of the use of space by chilla foxes and free-ranging dogs in a human-dominated landscape in southern Chile". Austral Ecology. 35 (7): 765–777. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.02083.x.
Sonia C. Zapata; Alejandro Travaini; Miguel Delibes; Rolando Martínez-Peck (2005). "Food habits and resource partitioning between grey and culpeo foxes in southeastern Argentine Patagonia". Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 40 (2): 97–103. doi:10.1080/01650520500129836. hdl:10261/50241. S2CID 85789638.
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