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Rüppell’s Foxes Responded With Less Fear Than Red Foxes to Simulated Red Fox Presence

Rüppell's fox in the White Desert, Egypt
Research · Behaviour

Field experiments in Israel’s southern Negev Desert found that Rüppell’s foxes (Vulpes rueppellii) showed a lower fear response to simulated red fox (Vulpes vulpes) presence than red foxes did. The researchers had expected the smaller Rüppell’s fox to respond more cautiously to the larger competitor.

The study used 34 two-day experimental sessions during dry and wet seasons at paired feeding stations that simulated the presence or absence of red foxes. Short video recordings were used to quantify vigilance, stress-related behaviour and other responses. Across the study, 1,291 fox videos were recorded.

Rüppell’s foxes did not show the heightened fear response predicted by the researchers. Red foxes, by contrast, showed more stress-related behaviour when exposed to simulated conspecific presence during the wet season, which overlaps with the breeding period.

The authors suggest that the two desert foxes’ long evolutionary history of coexistence may have promoted spatial niche partitioning rather than a strong fear response by Rüppell’s foxes. They also note that the low response to red fox cues could leave Rüppell’s foxes vulnerable where human-driven changes allow red fox populations to expand.

Sources and image credit

  1. Geffen, E., Hefner, R., Ucko, M., Leader, N., & Barocas, A. (2026). Evolutionary history and seasonal dynamics shape interspecific interactions between two sympatric desert fox species.Primary peer-reviewed article in Animal Behaviour, volume 239 (September 2026). In 34 paired-station field experiments in the southern Negev, Rüppell’s foxes showed a lower fear response to simulated red fox presence than red foxes did; red foxes showed more stress-related behaviour toward simulated conspecifics during the wet-season breeding period. Available publisher and institutional metadata verify September 2026 but not a separate exact publication day.

Image: Rüppell’s fox in the White Desert, Egypt, 23 August 2010. Photo: HelmutBoehm / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0 / GFDL. Representative species image; not an animal from the Negev study. · CC BY-SA 3.0 / GFDL · Source

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