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fennec

fennec

7.6
A small desert fox with very large ears that lives in North Africa and survives with little water
  • noun
  • /ˈfɛnɪk/
translation icon : feneco
  • In the Sahara, the fennec fox hunts small insects and rodents under the cover of night.
  • fennec fox

Examples

  • The fennec fox rejected him.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The fennec fox uses its large ears to help regulate its body temperature in the hot desert climate.

  • And from what Stacey told us, a fennec fox is tiny.

  • Have you tried your tests on the beta of Firefox Mobile (Fennec) on Android?

    Blog text (24)
  • We followed Mrs. Boyd through the zoo to get up close and personal with Phu the binturong, Akela the fennec fox, and Francis the sun bear.

    Blog text (8)
  • For a modest entrance fee of five dollars, visitors can meander among the crates, shopping for bearded dragons, Fennec foxes, and wallabies.

    Academic text (2008)
  • A group of fennec foxes can often be seen playing together in the soft sand dunes.

Synonyms

fox
vsfennec
78 1.0

A small wild mammal with a pointed nose and bushy tail that hunts small animals

is a desert specialist from North Africa with unusually large ears and arid adaptations
kit fox
vsfennec
  • US
1 7.2

A small gray fox with large ears that lives in western North American deserts and is active at night

is native to North Africa and adapted to arid environments with very large ears
prairie fox
vsfennec
  • US
8.3

A small grey fox that lives in the open grasslands of western North America

is adapted to North African deserts with much larger ears and arid adaptations

Surface Forms

fennec singular
fennecs plural

Etymology

Fennec comes from Arabic fanak, which means 'fox', so it is literally a small desert 'fox' known for its very large ears that help it stay cool.