Balkacem Aimene Boulaouad, Khaled Ayyach, Bachir Harzallah, Mohamed Belkacem, Mohamed Missoum, Djamel Hadj Aissa, Karim Attouche, Koen De Smet

Rediscovery of the pale fox (Vulpes pallida Cretzschmar, 1827) in Algeria: First confirmed record in over fifty years and assessment of its current distribution

Abstract The pale fox, Vulpes pallida, is a relatively elusive small carnivore sparsely distributed across the Sahel region in Africa. In this report, we document a new locality record of this species in Algeria, where its presence has remained unconfirmed for over fifty years. Using camera traps, we captured photographic evidence of the species in the extreme southern region of Algeria, specifically in the Tin Zaouatin area. A mix of camera traps were deployed at different locations in the region, operating during the night. The area’s climate is classified as hot desert, with vegetation in the Tawandert Valley predominantly consisting of Sahelian plants, such as Acacia and Balanites. This record marks the first officially documented occurrence of the pale fox in Algeria and represents the northernmost boundary of the species’ geographic distribution.

Doi https://doi.org/10.35513/21658005.2024.2.7

Keywords Mammalian inventory; Algeria; African sand fox Vulpes pallida; Mammalia; Tawandert; update status

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