Canidae+-+Ramanathan

FENNEC FOXES A.k.a.- //Vulpes zerda//

**Movement** - The fennec scampers around the desert on four legs. When necessary, it can jump up to two feet upwards, and four feet forwards.
 * ~ Levels of Classification for Fennecs ||~  ||
 * ~ Kingdom || Animalia ||
 * ~ Phylum || Chordata ||
 * ~ Class || Mammalia ||
 * ~ Order || Carnivora ||
 * ~ Family || Canidae ||
 * ~ Subfamily || Caninae ||
 * ~ Genus || Vulpes ||
 * ~ Species || //V. zerda// ||
 * ~ Common Name || Fennec ||
 * Metabolism ** - This desert mammal is omnivorous, and eats whatever it can find, although its favorite foods include rodents, insects, birds, and eggs. It uses its power jump to lunge at its prey.


 * Growth and Development ** - The fennec reaches sexual maturity at 9 months of age. They usually grow between 1.5 and 3.5 pounds. They typically are anywhere from 9 to 16 inches long, and not much more than 8 inches tall.

**Reproduction** - The fennec's gestation period typically lasts between 50 and 52 days. They also bear 1 to 4 offspring at a time.

**Adaptations** - To adapt to the harsh desert environment, they have four very pronounced features. One is that their puffy white coat deflects a lot of heat. Another great adaptation is that their ears' blood vessels are close to the skin, allowing for a huge release of heat. They also have thick fur on their feet, so they are protected from the hot desert sand. Finally, their kidneys are specially designed to reduce water loss.

Some other animals in Canidae are:
 * Family Characteristics ** - The family Canidae's characteristics are that they walk on their toes and they have bushy tails, non-retractable claws, 42 teeth, and they are born blind.

Gray Wolf - //Canis lupus// Red Fox - //Vulpes vulpes// Coyote - //Canis latrans// Black-backed Jackal - //Canis mesomelas//

Resource 2
 * Sources ** - Resource 1

AND NOW, A fennec fox who loves cheetos... media type="youtube" key="bD8j2IP1P_U?rel=0" height="510" width="640" ...yay cheetos...