What Is the Smallest Fox in the World? Fennec Fox and Others

Why the fennec fox is the smallest fox

The fennec fox is generally considered not only the smallest fox but the smallest member of the whole dog family, Canidae. An adult has a head and body about 30–40 cm (12–16 in) long, a tail of roughly 20–25 cm (8–10 in), and stands only about 20 cm (8 in) tall at the shoulder. Its huge ears, about 10 cm (4 in) long, make it look bigger than it is.

Its small size suits life in the Sahara. A small body needs less food and water, and it can shelter in burrows dug quickly into the sand. Read more about its desert home in Where do fennec foxes live?

Smallest foxes compared

Fox sizes overlap, and weights vary between populations, seasons and sexes, so these figures are typical ranges for wild adults rather than strict limits.

Blanford’s fox: a close rival

Blanford’s fox (Vulpes cana) is the fennec’s closest living relative and a close rival in size. It lives in rocky, mountainous desert areas of the Middle East and southwest Asia, from Israel and the Arabian Peninsula to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Animals studied in Israel averaged a little under 1 kg (2.2 lb), so individual Blanford’s foxes can weigh about the same as a fennec.

However, Blanford’s fox has a longer body and a much longer, very bushy tail, and many sources give it a higher weight range. Overall, the fennec is still regarded as the smaller species. Blanford’s fox is a nimble climber that can scramble up steep rock faces, and like the fennec it is mainly nocturnal.

The smallest foxes in North America

Three small foxes live in North America. The island fox (Urocyon littoralis), found only on six of the Channel Islands off southern California, is usually described as the smallest. It descends from gray foxes that reached the islands thousands of years ago and became smaller over time, a common pattern on islands. It is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN after a dramatic recovery from very low numbers in the early 2000s.

The kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) lives in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. With its big ears and pale coat, it is often called the North American version of the fennec. Its close relative, the swift fox (Vulpes velox), lives on the short-grass prairies of the Great Plains and southern Canada, where it was reintroduced after disappearing from the Canadian prairies. As its name suggests, it is fast, reaching more than 50 km/h (31 mph).

Why are desert foxes so small?

Many of the smallest foxes live in deserts and dry grasslands. Small size has several advantages there. Food is scarce, and a smaller body needs less of it. A small fox also needs less water and can shelter in a narrow burrow, escaping the extremes of heat by day and cold by night.

Desert foxes also share other features: large ears for shedding heat and hearing prey, pale sandy coats and kidneys that save water. These traits have evolved in several fox species living in similar conditions. The fennec shows them most strongly, as explained in Why do fennec foxes have big ears?

What is the largest fox?

At the other end of the scale is the red fox, the largest true fox and the most widespread wild carnivore on Earth. Red foxes usually weigh about 2.2–14 kg (5–31 lb), with the largest individuals in the north of the range. Even an average red fox is several times heavier than a fennec, and its range stretches from the Arctic Circle to the northern edges of the Sahara, where the two species can meet.

The difference shows how much fox size depends on climate and food. Foxes in cold, food-rich regions tend to be larger, while those in hot, dry places with scarce food tend to be smaller, with the fennec fox at the extreme.