Mammals · Carnivora · Canidae

Pampas Fox

Lycalopex griseus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The chilla, or South American grey fox, is one of the most widespread canids in Chile and Argentina, from the Atacama desert to Tierra del Fuego. It is omnivorous and highly opportunistic: rodents, birds, insects, fruit and carrion. It adapts well to grazing landscapes, which has earned it constant persecution from sheep farmers. In the 1950s it was introduced to Tierra del Fuego to control rabbits, and there it has become a problem for the native wildlife.

Weight

2.5 kg – 5.5 kg

Size

42 cm – 68 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestDesertMountainGrasslandOmnivore Nocturnal In pairs Temperate forest Desert Mountain Grassland Mammal

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Fun facts

It was introduced to the Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego in the 1950s to control rabbits and is today an invasive species on that island, a textbook case of badly conceived biological control.
The South American foxes of the genus Lycalopex are not true foxes: they are more closely related to wolves and dogs than to the foxes of the northern hemisphere.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Scrub, Patagonian steppe, grassland and forest edge of the southern cone of South America
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 56 days
Litter / clutch size: 4.2 (average)

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycalopex_griseus