Plate 031 · trotting a trail at night IdentificationSix marks on the plate
- 1Reddish-brown ears with a dark edge.
- 2Short muzzle with a reddish top.
- 3Dark line along the back that runs on down the tail.
- 4Grizzled grey coat, with an ochre belly.
- 5Black legs from the elbow down.
- 6Bushy tail with a black tip.
Easily confused with Pampas foxLycalopex gymnocercusLonger muzzle, reddish legs without black, and lives in open country. CulpeoLycalopex culpaeusLarger and redder. Lives in high mountains and dry valleys. 031 / 100 · MAMMALS · CANIDAELEAST CONCERN Crab-eating fox
Cerdocyon thous
Zorro de monte · Forest fox
This is the forest fox. It comes out at dusk, usually in pairs, and travels along trails, tracks and stream banks. It eats almost anything: fruit, insects, frogs and rodents.
- Weight
- c. 5 – 8 kg
- Altitude
- c. 400 – 2,000 m
- Activity
- nocturnal and crepuscular
- Litter
- 3 – 6 pups
- In pairs
- Nocturnal
- Omnivore
- Seed disperser
Altitude rangeForest and edges
Foothill to montane forest Lives in forest and along its edges with farmland. It follows ravines up into montane forest. Altitude limits in Tucumán are approximate.
FoodAn opportunist
- Fruitvery important in summer
- Insectsbeetles, crickets
- Rodentsforest mice
- Frogs and toadsnear water
- Carrionon roads
Seeds pass whole in its droppings, left on trails and in clearings. This helps spread forest plants.
BehaviourFaithful to its mate
- In pairs. Male and female forage together and both raise the pups.
- Nocturnal. It rests by day in thickets and comes out at dusk.
- Latrines. It leaves droppings at fixed spots on trails to mark its territory.
Where to look in Tucumán- Cuesta del Clavillo
- Sierra de San Javier
- PN Aconquija
- Río Los Sosa