fennec

American  

[fen-ek] / ˈfɛn ɛk /

noun

1. a small, pale yellowish-brown fox, Fennecus zerda, of northern Africa, having large, pointed ears.

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fennec British  

/ ˈfɛnɛk /

noun

1. a very small nocturnal fox, Fennecus zerda , inhabiting deserts of N Africa and Arabia, having pale fur and enormous ears

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Etymology

Origin of fennec

1780–90; < Arabic fanak < Persian

Example Sentences

I was fascinated by the tracks my guides picked up: snakes, grasshoppers, even hares and fennec foxes.

From The Guardian • Sep. 16, 2016

"That will reduce the number of wild fennec foxes and ultimately could lead to the extinction of this species."

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2016

George, one of the fennec foxes he hand-raised at the Bronx Zoo, is now at home at Potawatomi to join the growing program.

From Washington Times • Jan. 25, 2016

So while cats and the amazing fennec foxes and more distantly related mammals like marsupials kept their ability to orient their ears—think of big-eared cuties like koalas, lemurs, bush-babies—apes and humans lost the skill.

From Slate • Oct. 16, 2015

As an illustration of this, we might mention the wild-hound, the hyrax, the zerda, the fennec, the gnoo, and the aard-vark; and among birds, the serpent-eater, the bateleur eagle, and several other kinds.

From The Young Yagers A Narrative of Hunting Adventures in Southern Africa by Reid, Mayne