For those of yall wondering what the fuck is up with my chihuahua, the answer is unfortunately, we don’t really know.
We, in this case, being scientists. See, the thing is, Pale foxes (Vulpes pallida) live in the Sahel region of Africa, which is notoriously inhospitable. Not to mention the fact they blend in perfectly with the landscape. So researchers aren’t really going out and studying them :/
I’d love to see some more funding made available to biology students in the countries where the pale fox is found to get a better idea of what they are all about.
As far as Sméagol himself, he came from a rescuer-turned-hoarder situation. We don’t know who his original breeder was, or if he was caught in the wild. We do know, however, that he is the oldest recorded pale fox in the world and that his dietary, enrichment, and veterinary needs are being met, and that he is less cold tolerant than fennecs.
