Vulpes corsac

28. Corsac Fox Vulpes corsac French: Renard corsac / German: Steppenfuchs / Spanish: Zorro estepario Other common names: Corsac Taxonomy. Canis corsac Linnaeus, 1768, northern Kazakhstan. It has been suggested that Canis ekloni from northern Tibet is a subspecies of the Corsac Fox. However, C. ekloni is a junior synonym of V. ferrilata. Four subspecies are recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. V. c. corsac Linnaeus, 1768 — N part of range to pre-Altai steppe. Vc. kalmykorum Ognev, 1935 — Volgo-Ural steppes and Volga Basin. V. c. scorodumovi Dorogostaiski, 1935 — N China, Mongolia, and Russia (Transbaikalia). V. c. turemenicus Ognev, 1935 — plains of C Asia and N Afghanistan, NE Iran, and Kazakhstan. Descriptive notes. Head-body 45-59-5 cm for males and 45-50 cm for females, tail 19-30 cm for males and 25-30 cm for females; weight 1-6-3-2 kg for males and 1-9-2-4 kg for females. Typically vulpine in appearance. Males slightly bigger than females, but sexual dimorphism not pronounced. Head grayish-ocher or brown, ears banded brown on frontside, back of ears ocher-gray or reddish-brown. Breast, belly, and groin white or yellowish. Front of forelegs light yellow,sides rusty-yellow, hindlegs paler. Summer fur short and sparse, winter fur dense, soft and silky, straw-grayish with ocher. Awn hairs tipped silver-white. Tail about half body length or slightly more, grayish-brown, covered with dense bushy hair, tip dark, often black. Skull similar to that of V. vulpes, but smaller, shorter and wider, and with canine teeth more robust. The dental formula 813/38, C1/1,PM4/4.M2/3=42. Habitat. Typically inhabits steppes, semi-deserts, and deserts, avoiding mountains, forested areas, and dense bush. In the western part of the range, Corsac Foxes occur in low-grass steppe, avoiding dense and tall-grass steppes. They also occur in sandy habitats and shrubland semi-deserts, and in favorable years, in forested steppes. They avoid areas where depth of snow exceeds c. 15 cm, preferring areas where the snow is either shallower or highly compressed. Corsac Foxes appear to depend on ground squirrels (Spermophilus spp.) and marmots (Marmota spp.) for food and shelter (the burrows being enlarged and used for daytime refuge). Food and Feeding. Generally opportunistic, with a highly variable diet throughout its range that probably changes in accordance with availability. The bulk of the diet often includes the most common rodents of an area. Birds, reptiles (lizards, snakes and young tortoises), and insects are also frequently consumed, especially in summer, as well as small amounts of vegetation (including fruit and seeds). During winter and periods of low prey abundance, scavenged Gray Wolf kills and carcasses of wild and domestic ungulates are a major source of food in some areas. Typical prey in western Siberia includes voles (Microtus gregalis, Arvicola terrestris), lemmings (Lagurus spp.), ground squirrels (Spermophilus spp.), and jerboas (Allactaga spp.) Common winter prey also often includes Arctic Hares (Lepus timidus) and birds such as gray partridges (Perdix perdix) and snow buntings (Pleptrophenax nivalis). In the forest-steppe of Kazakhstan, the diet consists primarily of lemmings and sousliks. On the Ustyurt Plateau and in Turkmenistan the main prey are gerbils (Meriones spp., Rhombomys opimus); in Transbaikalia and Mongolia, the main prey species are gerbils (Meriones spp.), jerboas (Allactaga spp. and Dipus spp.), hamsters (Cricetulus spp. and Phodopus spp.), Brandt's Voles (Lasiopodomys brandltii), Siberian Marmots (Marmota sibirica), and pikas (Ochotona spp.). The foxes are solitary foragers, although near carrion or the remains of wolf kills several Corsacs may gather together. The foxes hunt by stalking prey and making sudden short-distance attacks. They locate ground-nesting birds and other small prey by sound and smell. Despite their small size they can kill prey up to the size of young marmots, hares, ducks, pheasants, and geese. Activity patterns. Corsac Foxes are active mainly at night. Hunting starts in the evening and continues through the first part of the night, with a second peak of activity before dawn. Sometimes they are also active in daytime, especially during the summer months. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The basic social unit is the breeding pair, and monogamous pairs may persist for life. During winter, several Corsacs may gather in a single den, indicating a relatively high degree of sociality. Polygamous families may occur under favorable feeding conditions. In optimal habitats during years of high prey abundance, the home range of a family pair may be as small as 1 km?. In contrast, home ranges are significantly larger in habitats with low food abundance, and may reach 35-40 km?. Corsacs occupy dens, often the burrows of marmots, during the day. Dens provide shelter from weather, but may also serve as important refuges from predation by larger canids such as Wolves and Red Foxes. Scent marking is important for maintaining territories, and marking with urine and feces is most frequent near dens. Barking is the most common vocalization. Barks have many different tonal variations, and are used during courtship, territorial demonstrations, and alarm. They are higher in pitch than the barks of Red Foxes and sound similar to a cat’s mew. Close distance vocalizations include high-tone rhythmic sounds, peeping, chirping, and yelping. Breeding. Across the range of the species, mating takes place from January to early March. There is only one litter per year and gestation varies from 52 to 60 days. The earliest birth time is mid-March, most births occurring in April. Average litter size in Kazakhstan was 5-5 (range = 2-10). Pups usually emerge from dens in mid-May. At 28 days they start eating meat. The male takes an active part in parental care by feeding the young, and in favorable years helpers may assist with feeding and guarding the young. Pups reach adult size at four to five months, and in captivity sexual maturity is reached by nine months. They disperse by the end of summer, but do not venture far from their natal range, and some are likely to return to stay over the autumn-winter season. Status and Conservation. CITES notlisted. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Current population status and the nature of major threats is unknown in most regions. Corsac Foxes were once considered ubiquitous across Central Asia, but notable declines have occurred in recent years following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. In Russia the Corsac Fox is rare in most regions, but relatively common in western Siberia and Transbaikalia. The species is common between the Volga and Ural rivers, but probably declining in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and northern China. Corsac Foxes are rare in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and the south-western portion of their range. In many countries, hunting them is legal during certain seasons, but enforcement of wildlife laws and regulations rarely occurs. Over-hunting and illegal poaching (even in protected areas) remains the most significant threat to the species. In Mongolia, increased hunting for furs in recent years has depleted populations throughout the country and led the species’ listing as “near threatened” in 2006. Bibliography. Allen (1938), Chirkova (1952), Geptner et al. (1967), Heptner & Naumov (1992), Kadyrbaev & Sludskii (1981), Murdoch et al. (2009, In press), Ognev (1962), Poyarkov & Ovsyanikov (2004), Sidorov & Botvinkin (1987), Sidorov & Polischuk (2002), Sludskyi & Lazarev (1966), Wingard & Zahler (2006).Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Canidae, pp. 352-446 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 442, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.633115