Culpeo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Photo] Patagonian fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus). Photo by Whaldener Endo http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Exlibris

The Culpeo (Pseudalopex culpaeus), sometimes known as the Patagonian fox, is a South American species of wild dog. It is the second largest native canid on the continent after the Maned Wolf. In its appearance it bears many similarities to the widely recognized red fox. It has grey and reddish fur, a white chin, reddish legs, and a stripe on its back that may be barely visible.

Its distribution extends from Ecuador and Peru to the southern regions of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. It is most common on the western slopes of the Andes, where it inhabits open country and deciduous forests. Populations of culpeos are also found in some of the westernmost of the Falkland Islands, where they were introduced by humans. The Falkland Island Fox, extinct by 1876, was probably a close relative.

The culpeo's diet consists largely of rodents, rabbits, birds and lizards, and to a lesser extent, plant material and carrion. Allegedly the culpeo attacks sheep and therefore it is often hunted or poisoned. In some regions it has become rare, but overall the species is not threatened with extinction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culpeo

The text in this page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article shown in above URL. It is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.