Abstract
Blanford's fox is a small canid that inhabits rocky mountains and canyons in the deserts of Israel, where it feeds mainly on invertebrates and fruits. The authors measured daily energy expenditure and water intake of free-living Blanford's foxes and compared the results with those of kit fox Vulpes macrotis and estimated dietary intake and seasonal activity periods. Blanford's foxes maintained water and energy balances on a diet of invertebrates and fruits without the need to drink. Metabolism during activity was 8.4 times higher than at rest, and daily energy expenditure of Blanford's foxes was, on average 30.1% higher than that of the kit fox. This result was compatible with the prediction that activity is more energetically expensive for Blanford's foxes in their mountainous habitat than in another desert fox species that inhabits flat terrains. -from Authors
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 611-617 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Animal Ecology |
Volume | 61 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Jan 1992 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Animal Science and Zoology