Vulpes cana | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial

Taxa
Vulpes cana | Blanford, 1877
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The species was first confirmed in the UAE by Stuart and Stuart (1995). Subsequent research using camera traps and live traps has shown it to be common throughout the Hajar Mountains up to the Oman border on the Musandam Peninsula and on Jebel Hafeet, where a skull was found in 2009 (Llewellyn-Smith 2000, Aspinall et al. 2005, Mallon and Budd 2011). Locations include Wadi Bih, Wadi Shawka, Wadi Shuwayhah, Wadi Ziqt (Cunningham and Howarth 2002). It has been recently camera trapped in Wadi Wurayah and is quite often camera trapped in Ras Al Khaimah. However, in the mountains of Sharjah Emirate and at Hatta in Dubai there have been no records of the species in the last few years, only Red Fox, although access to the wadis in Hatta area has been restricted in recent years, hindering possible surveys. It was described as common at levels on Jebel Hafeet by Drew (2004) but There have been no records from Jebel Hafeet for the last few years where Red Foxes, feral dogs and feral cats now dominate the area. This is most likely due to transformation of the habitat due primarily to release of waste water and subsequent changes to the vegetation on the mountain, and with increased human presence, as well as residential and amenity development at the base. Globally, Blanford's Fox occurs in the mountains around the rim of the Arabian Peninsula including Sinai (Egypt), Iran, Turkmenistan and Pakistan. There is a single record from Egypt west of the Suez Canal (Hoffmann and Sillero-Zubiri 2015).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Restricted to the mountains and avoids the foothills and plains inhabited by Vulpes vulpes. Nocturnal. Extremely agile and an exceptional jumper, this species preys on invertebrates, reptiles, small mammals and fruit. Very little is known about their social structure. In captivity, two to four young are normally born between February and April after a gestation period of approximately 50 days (Aspinall et al. 2005). One analysis of faeces (n=4) showed that the diet of this species includes a variety of insects (Mantodea, Orthoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera) and spiders, a feather, unidentified bone remains, a gerbil incisor, fur, a reptile pelvis and snail remains (Cunningham and Howarth 2002). The diet also includes fruit seeds and plant material, selection of species depending on what is available locally (Cunningham and Howarth 2002). This study also noted the difference in tail tip colour: out of ten individuals caught in the UAE, seven had black tail tips and two white tips.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment status criteria
D1
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is now restricted in the UAE to upland areas within the Hajar Mountains and Jebel Hafeet. It is assessed as Vulnerable under criterion D1 because the population size is estimated to be less than 1,000 and may well be close to 250 based on the information from recent sightings. The assessment is not adjusted as there is unlikely to be any rescue effect from populations in adjoining countries.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Habitat in the Hajar Mountains is being lost, degraded and fragmented by quarrying, road building, pipelines, and residential and tourism development. On Jebel Hafeet, the available habitat has been reduced by development along the lower reaches (Drew and Tourenq 2005) and this factor now also affects the upper slopes. Blanford's Fox may be affected by generalised predator persecution but is unlikely to be targeted specifically. It may also be outcompeted by the larger and more adaptable Vulpes vulpes taking advantage of expanding developments in the mountains.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Vulnerable under criterion D1 which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996).
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Vulpes cana Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Vulpes