AnimalsDesert
Fennec fox Fun facts for kids
Vulpes zerda
The fennec fox lives in sandy deserts in North Africa and eats insects, lizards and desert plants.
- Where it lives
- in sandy deserts in North Africa
- What it eats
- insects, lizards and desert plants
- How big it is
- smaller than a pet cat
Fun facts about the fennec fox
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
Its ears are huge for its tiny head, almost as long as a pencil on a head the size of an apple.
Its giant ears work like a fan, letting extra heat out of its body to keep it cool in the desert.
It can hear bugs moving under the sand, then dig straight down to grab them.
It has fur on the bottoms of its feet, like built-in snowshoes for running on hot sand.
It is the smallest fox in the whole world, even lighter than most pet cats.
Algeria's national football team is nicknamed The Fennecs, after this little fox!
It can go a long time without drinking at all, because it gets water from its food.
A baby fennec is born about as small as a kiwi fruit.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I sleep in a cool burrow all day and come out at night to hunt.
I can go a long time without drinking, because I get water from my food.
I have fur on the bottoms of my feet, so I can run on hot sand.
I belong to the dog family, but I'm even smaller than most pet cats.
My giant ears keep me cool in the desert and hear bugs moving under the sand.
Sammy might be thinking of a fennec fox.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the fennec fox in the Desert adventure.
Play the DesertComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
