Fennec fox of Africa. Photo Wikipedia
Snow leopards have very small ears for the size of their heads and bodies. This is because ears on all animals, humans included, help lose body heat in cold weather. Because snow leopards live in such cold climates losing body heat is the last thing they want to do.
So I was intrigued this week when I read about a vet having this little fox, a Fennec fox as a patient. What extraordinary ears! They are the largest ears of any canids (dog family) and that’s because, you guessed it, Fennec foxes live in deserts in Africa in extreme heat. They need to lose body heat to survive.
Small eared snow leopard
As snow leopards are adapted to live in the freezing cold high altitudes of Central Asia these little foxes (they only weigh around 1 –2 kilos) have a fur coat, kidneys and ears adapted to hot deserts. Read more about Fennec foxes.
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