Mammals
Darwin's Fox
Lycalopex fulvipes
Collected for science for the first time by Charles Darwin himself on Chiloe Island, Darwin’s fox survives today in just two small, isolated populations, making it one of the rarest canid species found anywhere on Earth.
Overview
Darwin’s fox, Lycalopex fulvipes, is an Endangered mammal native to forest and coastal habitat across Chiloe Island and small pockets of the adjacent Chilean mainland. Its historic discovery by Charles Darwin, its status as one of the rarest canids alive, and its split between two isolated populations make it one of the more conservation-critical mammals found anywhere in South America.
A fox nearly lost twice over
Long known only from Chiloe Island, Darwin’s fox gained a second, mainland population only after researchers rediscovered it decades after it was presumed extinct there, a reminder of how easily a species this rare could vanish unnoticed.
Status
Endangered, with populations remaining critically small and fragmented, threatened by habitat loss and disease transmitted from domestic dogs.
Darwin's Fox: common questions
Why is it called Darwin's fox?
This species is named after Charles Darwin, who collected the first scientific specimen of the species on Chiloe Island during the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s.
How rare is Darwin's fox?
This species is considered one of the rarest canid species on Earth, with a total population numbering only in the low hundreds spread across two isolated populations.
Where does Darwin's fox live?
This species survives in two isolated populations, one on Chiloe Island and a much smaller population on the adjacent South American mainland, after its mainland population was once thought extinct.
How can Darwin's fox be told apart from the culpeo fox?
This species is smaller and darker than the culpeo fox with which it shares parts of its range, a useful distinguishing feature where the two foxes' territories overlap.