Darwin Fox

		Darwin Fox
		He is a wild animal


Origin			Chile
Translation			Francis Vandersteen

The possession of this animal is not authorized Royal Decree establishing the list of mammals not kept for production purposes that may be kept (M.B. 24.08.2009)

Darwin's Fox (Lycalopex fulvipes) is a small, currently endangered species of canid in the genus Lycalopex. The Darwin's Fox was discovered on the island of Chiloé, off the coast of Chile, by the naturalist Charles Darwin in 1834. It was long theorized that the Darwin's Fox was a subspecies of the Argentine Gray Fox (P. griseus), but the discovery in 1990 of a small population of Darwin's Foxes on the mainland, in Nahuelbuta National Park1 , and subsequent genetic analysis, established the Darwin's Fox as a unique species.

The Darwin Fox has a dark brown coat, with red patches on the head and face, and shorter legs than continental foxes. It weighs from two to four kilos.

The Darwin's Fox has a diversified diet. In the dense forests where it exists, foxes hunt mammals, reptiles, ladybugs and invertebrates. However, they may also eat fruit and berries, and occasionally birds and amphibians. It sometimes eats carrion, but mainly live animals and fruit. It is therefore mainly an omnivore, and sometimes a scavenger.

The Darwin's Fox is generally considered to be an exclusively forested species, inhabiting southern temperate rainforests. They are only found in the wooded areas of Chiloé and the mainland. They are most active at dusk and before sunrise.

There are thought to be only 250 Darwin's Foxes left on Chiloé Island, and around 70 on the mainland, so they are considered critically endangered by the IUCN5. Fragmentation of the forest adjacent to the national parks is a cause for concern, while the dogs present in the parks, potential causes of death by contamination or direct attack, are probably the greatest threat to the foxes' survival. Persecution of people who think they are attacking their poultry, even if they present little danger, is also a potential problem.