Taxon name
Vulpes vulpes
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Vulpes vulpes
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
A recent extensive global phylogeny of Red Foxes that included ~1,000 samples from across the species' range found that Red Foxes originated in the Middle East, then radiated out, and that Red Foxes in North America are genetically distinct and probably merit recognition as a distinct species (Vulpes fulva) (Statham et al. 2014).
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Least concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The Red Fox is found throughout the UAE in a variety of habitats. It is assessed as Least Concern because it is widespread and common and apparently increasing. No regional adjustment is made to the Least Concern assessment.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
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.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The Red Fox is found throughout the UAE in a variety of habitats, from arid, rocky mountains to sandy desert, coastal plains and small offshore islands. This is a highly adaptable species that has benefited from the expansion of human habitation, farms, irrigated plantations to extend its distribution into the deserts of the interior (Aspinall et al. 2005, Drew and Tourenq 2005). Over 25 Red Foxes were disturbed in 1992 while feeding on the refuse tip at the Shah oilfield, south of Liwa, deep in the desert (Hellyer 1993). The Red Fox has a very extensive global range covering the entire northern hemisphere, and it has been introduced elsewhere (Hoffmann and Sillero-Zubiri 2016). It is common across the Arabian Peninsula (Mallon and Budd 2011).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
An adaptable species occupying a wide range of habitats and taking advantage of the expansion of human settlements. Opportunistic and omnivorous, Red Foxes will eat almost anything they can catch or find, including small mammals, birds, insects, carrion, plants and fruits (Aspinall et al. 2005).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Subject to shooting and trapping by farmers, game bird breeders and others.
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Least Concern which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996).
Publication
Mallon, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Allen, D., & Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial. A report to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (p. 41). IUCN Global Species Programme. https://bit.ly/2RdZCQR
