June 2012. As the smallest fox species in deserts of West Asia, Blanford's fox, sometimes known as the Afghan fox, has recently been confirmed across a range of habitat types in Abbas Abad Wildlife Refuge, in central Iran.
High abundance
Blandford's fox has been rarely studied in the wild and no proper knowledge was available about this small canid in Iran before application of camera traps. Meanwhile, ongoing camera trapping efforts in central Iran reveals the species presence in scattered locations in desert ecosystems of the country. Initiated since March 2012, the systematic camera trapping survey on 40 different locations indicated relatively high abundance of the Blanford's fox comparing to other canids.
Blandford's fox has been rarely studied in the wild and no proper knowledge was available about this small canid in Iran before application of camera traps. Meanwhile, ongoing camera trapping efforts in central Iran reveals the species presence in scattered locations in desert ecosystems of the country. Initiated since March 2012, the systematic camera trapping survey on 40 different locations indicated relatively high abundance of the Blanford's fox comparing to other canids.
The project is jointly run by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) and Naein Office of Environment in partnership with Isfahan Provinicial Office of Environment, Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) and Panthera.
Four species of fox known in Iran
Iran is home to four species of foxes which three of them occur in Abbas Abad, namely as Blanford's fox, common fox and Ruppell's fox. Known as the "King fox" in Iran, the Blanford's or Afghan fox occurs in warm, mountainous regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and south-western Russia. The canid has been reported to obtain a high proportion of its food demands based on plant materials and insects, while one of the camera trap images indicate the species predates on rodents.
Iran is home to four species of foxes which three of them occur in Abbas Abad, namely as Blanford's fox, common fox and Ruppell's fox. Known as the "King fox" in Iran, the Blanford's or Afghan fox occurs in warm, mountainous regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and south-western Russia. The canid has been reported to obtain a high proportion of its food demands based on plant materials and insects, while one of the camera trap images indicate the species predates on rodents.
Courtesy of the Iranian Cheetah Society
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/blandfords-fox.html#cr
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!