Vulpes corsac (Carnivora: Canidae)

Abstract

Vulpes corsac (Linnaeus, 1768) is a canid commonly called the corsac fox or steppe fox. It is distributed throughout nearly all of the central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan and its range extends into portions of Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Mongolia, and China. It is adapted to arid conditions and can forego food and water for extended periods of time. Cortex and medulla features of its fur allow it to endure cold, harsh winter conditions but it is not adapted for walking on snow. It typically inhabits grassland steppes, semideserts, and deserts and will frequent agricultural lands and plowed fields in some areas. It is an opportunistic forager and hunter that is considered a species of Least Concern from a conservation standpoint.