fennec

American  

[fen-ek] / ˈfɛn ɛk /

noun

1. a small, pale yellowish-brown fox, Fennecus zerda, of northern Africa, having large, pointed ears.

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fennec British  

/ ˈfɛnɛk /

noun

1. a very small nocturnal fox, Fennecus zerda , inhabiting deserts of N Africa and Arabia, having pale fur and enormous ears

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Etymology

Origin of fennec

1780–90; < Arabic fanak < Persian

Example Sentences

I was fascinated by the tracks my guides picked up: snakes, grasshoppers, even hares and fennec foxes.

From The Guardian • Sep. 16, 2016

But then she saw postings about fennec foxes, the pint-sized species of Nick's short-tempered, big-eared sidekick, Finnick.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2016

George, one of the fennec foxes he hand-raised at the Bronx Zoo, is now at home at Potawatomi to join the growing program.

From Washington Times • Jan. 25, 2016

So while cats and the amazing fennec foxes and more distantly related mammals like marsupials kept their ability to orient their ears—think of big-eared cuties like koalas, lemurs, bush-babies—apes and humans lost the skill.

From Slate • Oct. 16, 2015

The dark spot on the back of the tail is particularly conspicuous, notably in such widely separated species as the wolves, Azara’s dog and the fennec.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 "Carnegie Andrew" to "Casus Belli" by Various