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What Does a Blanford's Fox Eat?

Blanford's foxes are small canines found throughout the arid parts of the Middle East such as Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They are also sometimes referred to as Afghan foxes or steppe foxes. They look similar to the generic vision of foxes many people probably recognize, with brown hair and bushy tails. The diet of the Blanford's fox may be surprising to some, as they are known to consume a lot of fruit.

Foraging
- Blanford's foxes are foragers rather than hunters. They live primarily in the rocky, mountainous regions of the Middle East where prey items may not be readily accessible. They have become more accustomed to scavenging and foraging for food than hunting like many other types of foxes.
Frugivores
- The primary diet of the Blanford's fox is primarily frugivorous, meaning that it eats lots of fruit, a stark contrast to the traditional image of foxes as sly hunters. They consume melons, grapes, Russian chives and any other type of fruit or crop they can find throughout the dry regions of the desert.
Insectivores
- The Blanford's fox does not exclusively eat fruit, however. It also consumes various insects that may be common in its habitat. This includes locusts, which are large, grasshopper-like creatures found throughout the Middle East. Whether the Blanford's fox will eat insects depends primarily on its environment; if there is less fruit around, then it will become insectivorous.
Vertebrates
- Blanford's fox may occasionally eat vertebrates like rats or lizards, but this is purportedly a rare occurrence. A study in the Journal of Mammalogy showed that only 12 percent of fecal samples taken from a given population of Blanford's foxes in 1992 contained traces of vertebrate remains.

Animals & Science