Vulpes corsac
Corsac fox

The corsac fox occurs from the lower Volga river east across a wide area of central Asia, including Turkestan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tibet, Transbaikalia, and northern Manchuria.

The corsac fox is an inhabitant of steppes and semi-desert. It avoids areas used for agricultural purposes, forests, and thickets. It lives in adjoining burrows that were dug by other animals, then taken over by the fox.

The corsac fox is typical of the genus Vulpes, but slightly smaller than the red fox with larger legs and ears. The coloration is predominantly grey or reddish grey on the upper parts with silver undertones, while the under parts are white with yellow undertones. The chin is white and the fur is thick and soft all over. Its large, pointy ears are broad at the base.

The head and body length is 500-600 mm and the tail length is 250-350 mm.

Vulpes corsac is monogamous.

The time of mating for the corsac fox is between January and March with a gestation time of 50-60 days. Litter sizes are typically between 2 and 6 young at a time, but there are some reported cases of a litter of up to 11 young. It is thought that males of the species probably help rear young but this is not known for certain. Males will fight with one another during the breeding season but then remain with the family pack.

While Vulpes corsac is reported to be nocturnal in the wild, in captivity it is very active during the day. They are excellent climbers but run with only moderate speed and can be caught by a slow dog. Their senses of hearing, vision, and smell are excellent. Corsac foxes are reported to be nomadic and do not keep a fixed home range, they will migrate south when hunting is difficult due to deep snow and ice. This species is more social than other foxes. Some individuals even live together in the same burrow. In the winter, they form small hunting packs, which may represent mated pairs and their grown young. These foxes live in adjoining burrows which resemble "corsac cities". Their burrows have often been taken over from other animals such as marmots. Self-excavated burrows are usually simple and shallow.

The corsac fox is a carnivore and seems to favor rodents as a main item in the diet. They also consume large quantitities of insects, some pikas, birds and plant material. The teeth are small. They catch rodents using a characteristic style of leaping into the air, then dropping down on prey so they have less of a chance to escape. Their broad ears help them locate rustles that indicate presence of a rodent.

In the late nineteenth century, Corsac foxes were commercially trapped on a large scale for their warm and beautiful fur. Up to 10,000 pelts were sold annually in western Siberian cities. They were popular pets in the seventeenth century.

Although human persecution has eliminated large groups and made them more nocturnal, there is no conservation program for the corsac fox. Little is known about their precise numbers but hunting and the plowing of land for agriculture have significantly reduced populations in some areas. The fox has disappeared over much of its range.

Unlike the red fox, the corsac fox lacks the penetrating odor common to other Vulpes.