Culpeo
| Culpeo | |
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| Species: | L. culpaeus
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| Binomial name | |
| Lycalopex culpaeus (Molina, 1782)
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| Culpeo range | |
The culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus), sometimes known as the culpeo zorro or Andean fox (wolf), is a South American species of wild dog. It is the second largest native canid on the continent, after the maned wolf. In its appearance it bears many similarities to the widely recognized red fox. It has grey and reddish fur, a white chin, reddish legs, and a stripe on its back that may be barely visible.
The culpeo's diet consists largely of rodents, rabbits, birds and lizards, and to a lesser extent, plant material and carrion. The culpeo does attack sheep on occasion, and is therefore often hunted or poisoned.[2] In some regions it has become rare, but overall the species is not threatened with extinction.
Description
This is a fairly large canid, intermediate in size between a red fox and a coyote. The mean weight of the much larger male is 11.4 kg (25 lb), while females average 8.4 kg (19 lb). Overall, a weight range of 5 to 13.5 kg (11 to 30 lb) has been reported. Total length can range from 90 to 165 cm (35 to 65 in), including a tail of 30 to 51 cm (12 to 20 in) in length.[3] The pelage has a fairly attractive, grizzled appearance. The neck and shoulders are often tawny to rufous in color with the upper back is dark. The bushy tail has a black tip.[4]
Range
Its distribution extends from Ecuador and Peru to the southern regions of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Some populations live in southern regions of Colombia. It is most common on the western slopes of the Andes, where it inhabits open country and deciduous forests. Populations of the culpeo are also found in some of the westernmost of the Falkland Islands, where they were introduced by humans.
Diet
The culpeo fox is an opportunistic predator that will take any variety of prey. This fox mainly feeds on rodents, lagomorphs (especially the introduced European rabbit and European hare) and occasionally feed on domestic livestock, and young guanacos.[5] Culpeos are considered beneficial because they are significant predators of the rabbits introduced in 1915; such introduced rabbit populations are believed to have allowed culpeos to spread from the Andean foothills across the Patagonian plain.[6] They sometimes take young lambs a week old and younger. In limited studies, the larger culpeo appears to dominate potential competitors, including South American gray foxes, Geoffroy's cats, Pampas cats, grisons and various raptorial birds.[4] Its range also overlaps that of the much larger puma, but the size difference ensures that the two species have limited competition.
Habitat
The culpeo lives in a wide variety of habitats of western South America. They are found in broadleaf Nothofagus temperate rainforest, sclerophyllous matorral, deserts, and high plateaus, like the Altiplano, up to the tree line (4800 m).[1]
Reproduction
The typical mating period is between August and October. After a gestation period of 55–60 days, the female gives birth to cubs. The females usually give birth to 2-5 pups among the rocks.
Classification
Subspecies
- Lycalopex culpaeus andinus (Thomas, 1914)
- Lycalopex culpaeus culpaeus (Molina, 1782)
- Lycalopex culpaeus lycoides (Philippi, 1896)
- Lycalopex culpaeus magellanicus (Gray, 1837)
- Lycalopex culpaeus reissii (Hilzheimer, 1906)
- Lycalopex culpaeus smithersi (Thomas, 1914)
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the culeo has been the topic of debate due to their high phenetic variability and the scarcity of research, among other things. Over the past three decades, they have been placed variably in the genera Dusicyon (Clutton-Brock, et al., 1976; Wozencraft, 1989), Canis (Langguth, 1975; Van Gelder, 1978), Pseudalopex (Berta, 1987; Wozencraft, 1993; Tedford et al., 1995), and Lycalopex (Zunino, 1995; Wozencraft, 2005).[7]
This canid, like other South American foxes, is still sometimes classified as a member of the genus Pseudalopex.[1] As Pseudalopex and Lycalopex have largely come to describe the same genus, either classification is acceptable, although modern practice is to give Lycalopex prominence.[8]
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References
- ^ a b c Template:IUCN2011.2
- ^ Macdonald, David Whyte (2004). The Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-851555-3.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Burnie D and Wilson DE (Eds.), Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. DK Adult (2005), ISBN 0789477645
- ^ a b [1] (2011).
- ^ Andres J. Novaro, Claudio A. Moraga, Cristobal Bricen, Martin C. Funes, Andrea Marino (2009) First records of culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus) attacks and cooperative defense by guanacos (Lama guanicoe). Mammalia, Volume 73
- ^ Alderton, David. Foxes, Wolves, and Wild Dogs of the World. London: Blandford, 1998. p175-6.
- ^ Jiménez, J. E.; Novaro, A.J. (2004). "Chapter 3.4: Culpeo (Pseudalopex culpaeus)" (PDF). In Sillero-Zubiri, C.; Hoffmann, M.; Macdonald, D.W. (eds.). Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals, and Dogs. p. 44Template:Inconsistent citations
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 579–581. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Lindblad-Toh; Wade, CM; Mikkelsen, TS; Karlsson, EK; Jaffe, DB; Kamal, M; Clamp, M; Chang, JL; Kulbokas Ej, 3rd (2005). "Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog" (PDF). Nature. 438 (7069): 803–819. doi:10.1038/nature04338. PMID 16341006.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|display-authors=9(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)