The Sahara desert covers up to 6% of the world’s land. However, this vast and ʜᴀʀsʜ place is home to the Fennec fox (desert fox), the world’s smallest wild species of the Canine family. This is an animal that can sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ in the desert without drinking water.
Animals That Don’t Need To Drink Water
Desert foxes have sand-colored fur that helps them to be less ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴀʙʟᴇ when they come out of their shelters to find food. In addition, this small animal often ᴅᴏᴅɢᴇs, jumps, and uses dunes to ʜɪᴅᴇ its location.
When night falls, the sands that radiate heat during the day become cold again. Temperatures can plummet below freezing. The sudden cold was even worse than the heat. However, thanks to the thick fur of the desert fox, which has an insulating effect, it helps this animal roam for food at night.
Why Does The Desert Fox Not Need To Drink Water?
The desert fox’s small body doesn’t need much food. But because they are omnivores, they can find all sorts of things around the desert to fill their ʜᴜɴɢʀʏ sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜs, such as insects, berries, roots, or even food debris.
The desert is exceptionally ʜᴀʀsʜ; even though there is food, there is no water. Fortunately, the desert fox’s ᴋɪᴅɴᴇʏs work very well. This is also the only Dog family member who does not need to drink water. Instead, desert foxes can get all the water they need from their food.
The fennec fox evolved when the desert first appeared. Therefore, other than them, no other dog species can overcome the ᴄʜᴀʟʟᴇɴɢᴇs of the desert.
Although only about the size of a walking boot and weighing only about 1 kg, the desert fox can ʟɪᴠᴇ well in the desert daily.
The Sahara contains millions of grains of sand. Each bead acts as a heat sɪɴᴋ. Sand ᴀʙsᴏʀʙs heat; the hotter it gets, the more heat it gives off. The average temperature in this desert can reach nearly 40 degrees Celsius.
In such ʜᴏᴛ conditions, the desert fox’s diminutive size is handy. Because their small ʙᴏᴅɪᴇs help them ʀᴀᴅɪᴀᴛᴇ heat faster than large bodies. Moreover, the coat of this animal is long, thick, and soft with an inner undercoat, which protects them from the heat of the day.
Large ᴇᴀʀs Act Like Sophisticated Air Conditioners!
In addition, to cool down even more quickly, their large ᴇᴀʀs act like sophisticated air conditioners. Each ᴇᴀʀ of the desert fox has a network of ᴄᴀᴘɪʟʟᴀʀɪᴇs, which fill with ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ when the temperature rises rapidly.
They help ꜰɪɢʜᴛ the heat, and giant ᴇᴀʀs also support the desert fox to become a ꜰᴏʀᴍɪᴅᴀʙʟᴇ “ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ” at night. Their keen ʜᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ enables them to detect ᴘʀᴇʏ like insects and reptiles in the ᴅᴀʀᴋ.
In particular, the desert fox has another way of cooling. It stays in the cave during the day. It is very familiar with its environment. Specifically, moisture is often concentrated at the foot of the dunes, so the sand in the desert is sturdy enough to ᴅɪɢ a cave. To avoid the ʜᴀʀsʜ heat of the Saharan Sun, desert foxes will choose to shelter in caves and come out to feed at night.
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