You’d be forgiven for mistaking the culpeo fox for the more familiar red fox – albeit a slightly long-legged one.
However, South America’s second-largest wild canid doesn’t belong to the true fox family (Vulpes) at all; it is more closely related to wolves and jackals, belonging to the genus Lycalopex, which evolved separately.
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Found in a wide range of habitats and hunting a diversity of prey from rodents to insects, adaptability and resourcefulness has been key to this handsome predator’s success.
Where do culpeo foxes live?
The culpeo ranges from southern Colombia in the north of the continent through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, reaching all the way to Tierra del Fuego in the far south.
The Andes forms the backbone of its distribution – in fact, its other name is the Andean fox – and it has been recorded at elevations of up to 4,800m here. However, the culpeo can be found as far as the Pacific coast of northern Chile and across eastern Patagonia to the Atlantic coast in parts of Argentina.
Few South American canids occupy such a variety of habitats. Culpeos live in rugged mountain terrain, puna grassland, open desert, scrubby pampas and rainforest.
What does a culpeo fox look like?
Strikingly similar to a red fox, with a pointed muzzle, upright ears and a long, bushy tail – the result of convergent evolution rather than any shared lineage. Its coat is usually grey and reddish, often with tawny or rufous tones around the neck, shoulders, legs and flanks, with a pale chin and underparts. The tail typically ends in a black tip.
How big is a culpeo fox?
It isa the second-largest wild canid in South America after the maned wolf and in terms of its size, it sits somewhere between a red fox and coyote.
It is Tbetween 94-133cm long and weighs up to 14kg, but this varies across their geographical range, with larger culpeos tending to occur farther south. Researchers have posited that this pattern may be driven by increased prey availability, adaptation to colder weather conditions and competition with other carnivores.
What does it eat?
The culpeo is a highly opportunistic and its diet varies greatly across its distribution, depending on environmental conditions and prey availability. It will hunt small mammals such as rodents, hares and rabbits, but will also feed on birds, reptiles, insects and fruit. Large herbivores, such as llamas and vicunas, are occasionally taken as carrion. In some areas, it is an apex predator; in others, its frugivorous habit makes it a valuable seed disperser.
European hares and rabbits, introduced in the early 20th century, have become an especially important prey source and may have assisted the culpeo’s expansion from the Andean mountains into the Patagonian plain. These exotic lagomorphs destroy crops, so the wild canid’s acquired taste for them has turned it into an unlikely farmer’s friend in some areas, protecting it from persecution.
Does it hunt alone?
Usually, yes. The culpeo is generally solitary, though pairs may be seen during the breeding season, when both sexes help care for the young. The culpeo is what is called a ‘cursorial predator’, meaning that rather than stalking its prey, it chases it over long distances until the prey succumbs to exhaustion.
How do culpeos breed?
The main mating period is usually between August and October. After a gestation of about 55-60 days, the female gives birth to a litter that commonly numbers two to five pups.
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The species usually has one litter each year. The young grow quickly and can reach sexual maturity within their first year, at around seven months. This relatively early maturity, combined with fairly large litters, may help explain why culpeo populations can recover quite rapidly when hunting pressure eases.
Are there different kinds of culpeo?
Traditionally, up to six subspecies have been described on the basis of geography, skull shape and coat characteristics, including the Patagonian (L. c. magellanicus), Fuegian (L. c. lycoides), Ecuadorian (L. c. reissii), achalan (L. c. smithersi), and altiplano (L. c. andinus) culpeos, along with the nominal L. c. culpaeus. But some recent work supports fewer clearly distinct subspecies.
The indigenous and nomadic Selk’nam people of Tierra del Fuego, on the very southern tip of South America, domesticated the culpeo and produced a breed that was known as the Fuegian or Patagonian dog. However, this became extinct in the late 19th or early 20th century.
Do culpeo foxes face any threats?
The culpeo is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern and across much of its range it remains widespread. Even so, that status can hide local declines.
For many decades the main threats have been hunting and trapping for fur, as well as persecution for taking poultry, lambs and other small livestock. Poisoning still occurs in some regions. Habitat loss is generally considered less serious, partly because it can cope with a broad range of environments, including some human-modified ones.
It’s thought that the increase in the puma population of Patagonia over the past 10-15 years may also be leading to a decline in culpeos, due to predation and competition over shared prey resources.
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Top image: Neil Bowman / Getty Images
