Unlike the red fox, the corsac fox lacks the penetrating odor common to other Vulpes.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Although human persecution has eliminated large groups and made them more nocturnal, there is no conservation program for the corsac fox. Little is known about their precise numbers but hunting and the plowing of land for agriculture have significantly reduced populations in some areas. The fox has disappeared over much of its range.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
In the late nineteenth century, Corsac foxes were commercially trapped on a large scale for their warm and beautiful fur. Up to 10,000 pelts were sold annually in western Siberian cities. They were popular pets in the seventeenth century.
Positive Impacts: body parts are source of valuable material
The corsac fox is a carnivore and seems to favor rodents as a main item in the diet. They also consume large quantitities of insects, some pikas, birds and plant material. The teeth are small. They catch rodents using a characteristic style of leaping into the air, then dropping down on prey so they have less of a chance to escape. Their broad ears help them locate rustles that indicate presence of a rodent.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; insects
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates)
The corsac fox occurs from the lower Volga river east across a wide area of central Asia, including Turkestan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tibet, Transbaikalia, and northern Manchuria.
Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native )
The corsac fox is an inhabitant of steppes and semi-desert. It avoids areas used for agricultural purposes, forests, and thickets. It lives in adjoining burrows that were dug by other animals, then taken over by the fox.
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13 years.
The corsac fox is typical of the genus Vulpes, but slightly smaller than the red fox with larger legs and ears. The coloration is predominantly grey or reddish grey on the upper parts with silver undertones, while the under parts are white with yellow undertones. The chin is white and the fur is thick and soft all over. Its large, pointy ears are broad at the base.
The head and body length is 500-600 mm and the tail length is 250-350 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average mass: 2700 g.
Vulpes corsac is monogamous.
Mating System: monogamous
The time of mating for the corsac fox is between January and March with a gestation time of 50-60 days. Litter sizes are typically between 2 and 6 young at a time, but there are some reported cases of a litter of up to 11 young. It is thought that males of the species probably help rear young but this is not known for certain. Males will fight with one another during the breeding season but then remain with the family pack.
Range number of offspring: 2 to 11.
Average number of offspring: 5.
Range gestation period: 49 to 60 days.
Range weaning age: 28 (low) days.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 62.5 g.
Average number of offspring: 4.7.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 504 days.
Parental Investment: altricial ; post-independence association with parents
