View source for Biology:Crab-eating fox

{{Short description|Species of carnivore}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Crab-eating fox<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Carnivora | id=14000783| page = 578}}</ref>
| image = Crab-eating Fox (cropped).JPG
| image_caption = ''Cerdocyon thous'' from Colombia
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref =<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Lucherini, M. |date=2015 |title=''Cerdocyon thous'' |volume=2015 |page=e.T4248A81266293 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T4248A81266293.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2 
| status2_system = CITES 
| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
| display_parents = 3
| genus = Cerdocyon
| parent_authority = C. E. H. Smith, 1839
| species = thous
| authority = ([[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1766)
| range_map = Crab-eating Fox area.png
| range_map_caption = Crab-eating fox range
| synonyms = ''Canis thous'' <small>Linnaeus,&nbsp;1766</small>
}}

The '''crab-eating fox''' ('''''Cerdocyon thous'''''), also known as the '''forest fox''', '''wood fox, bushdog''' (not to be confused with the [[Biology:Bush dog|bush dog]]) or '''maikong''', is an extant species of medium-sized [[Biology:Canidae|canid]] endemic to the central part of [[Earth:South America|South America]] since at least the [[Earth:Pleistocene|Pleistocene]] epoch.<ref name=msw3/><ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /><ref name=":2" /> Like [[Biology:South American fox|South American fox]]es, which are in the [[Biology:Genus|genus]] ''Lycalopex'', it is not closely related to true foxes. ''Cerdocyon'' comes from the [[Social:Greek language|Greek]] words ''kerdo'' (meaning fox) and ''kyon'' (dog) referring to the dog- and fox-like characteristics of this animal.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Braun |first1=Janet K. |last2=Mares |first2=Michael A. |year=1995 |title=The Mammals of Argentina: An Etymology |url=https://www.sarem.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SAREM_MastNeotrop_2-2_05_Braun.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Mastozoología Neotropical |publisher=SAREM |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=173–206 |issn=0327-9383 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018221813/http://www.sarem.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SAREM_MastNeotrop_2-2_05_Braun.pdf |archive-date=October 18, 2016}}</ref>

==Taxonomy and evolution==

The crab-eating fox was originally described as ''Canis thous'' by Linnaeus (1766), and first placed in its current genus ''Cerdocyon'' by Hamilton-Smith in 1839.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=https://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/actionplans/canids.pdf |title=Canids : foxes, wolves, jackals, and dogs : status survey and conservation action plan |date=2004 |others=Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, Michael Hoffmann, David W. Macdonald, IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group, IUCN--The World Conservation Union |isbn=2-8317-0786-2 |location=Gland, Switzerland |oclc=57570754 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903172951/https://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/actionplans/canids.pdf |archive-date=September 3, 2022}}</ref>

Cerdocyonina is a [[Biology:Tribe|tribe]] which appeared around 6.0 million years ago (Mya) in [[Earth:North America|North America]] as ''Ferrucyon avius'' becoming extinct by around 1.4–1.3 Mya. living about {{Mya|6-1.3|million years}}. This genus has persisted in South America from an undetermined time, possibly around 3.1 Mya, and continues to the present in the same or a similar form to the crab-eating fox.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tetford |first1=Richard H. |last2=Wang |first2=Xiaoming |last3=Taylor |first3=Beryl E. |date=September 2009 |title=Phylogenetic Systematics of the North American Fossil Caninae (Carnivora: Canidae) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232691139 |journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |volume=325 |pages=1–218 |doi=10.1206/574.1|s2cid=83594819 }}</ref>

As one of the species of the tribe [[Biology:Canini (tribe)|Canini]], it is related to the genus ''Canis''. The crab-eating fox's nearest living relative, as theorized at present, is the [[Biology:Short-eared dog|short-eared dog]]. This relationship, however, has yet to be supported by mitochondrial investigations. Two subgenera (''Atelocynus'' and ''Speothos'') were long ago included in ''Cerdocyon''.

''Cerdocyon thous'', ''C. avius'' and other species of the genus ''Cerdocyon'' underwent radiational evolution on the South American continent.<ref name="Lavigne">De Lavigne, Guillaume. Free Ranging Dogs-Stray, Feral or Wild?. Lulu Press, Inc, 2015.</ref> All close relatives of the crab-eating fox (''Cerdocyon thous'') are extinct. It is the only living representative at present of the genus ''Cerdocyon''.

==Description==
[[File:Cachorro do mato (Cerdocyon thous).JPG|thumb|''C. thous'']]
The crab-eating fox is predominantly greyish-brown, with areas of red on the face and legs, and black-tipped ears and tail. It has short, strong legs and its tail is long and bushy. The head and body length averages {{convert|64.3|cm|in}}, and the average tail length is {{convert|28.5|cm|in}}.<ref name="Berta1982">Annalisa Berta; Cerdocyon thous, Mammalian Species, Issue 186, 23 November 1982, Pages 1–4, https://doi.org/10.2307/3503974</ref> It can weigh between {{convert|10|and|17|lb|kg}}.<ref name="Hover2003">{{Cite web |last=Amanda Hover |title=Cerdocyon thous (crab-eating fox) |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cerdocyon_thous/ |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=Animal Diversity Web |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Yahnke1985">Yahnke CJ, Johnson WE, Geffen E, Smith D, Hertel F, Roy MS, Bonacic CF, Fuller TK, Van Valkenburgh V, Wayne RK (1996) Darwin’s fox: a distinct endangered species in a vanishing habitat. Conserv Biol 10:366–375</ref>

The coat is short and thick. Coloration varies from grey to brown, to yellowish, to pale, to dark grey. There is a black streak along the back legs, with a black stripe along the spine. On muzzle, ears and paws there is more-reddish fur. The tail, legs and ear tips are black. The ears are wide and round. The torso is somewhat narrow; legs are short but strong. The dense hairy tail stays upright when they are excited. There is significant variation in color between population, from very dark to light grey-yellow.<ref name=":2" />

Genetically, there are 74 diploid chromosomes (36 pairs).

==Habitat==
The crab-eating fox is a canid that ranges in [[Earth:Savanna|savanna]]s; [[Biology:Woodland|woodland]]s; subtropical forests; prickly, shrubby thickets; and tropical savannas such as the ''caatinga'', [[Earth:Plain|plain]]s, and ''campo'', from Colombia and southern Venezuela in the north to Paraguay, Uruguay and northern {{wipe|Argentina}} at the southernmost reaches of its range.<ref name="Eisenberg1999">J.F. Eisenberg, K.H. Redford
Mammals of the Neotropics – The Central Neotropics, vol. 3, University of Chicago Press, Chicago (1999)</ref> The crab-eating fox has also been sighted in Panama since the 1990s.<ref>Tejera-N, VH;  Araúz-G., V. León, A. R. Rodríguez, P. González, S. Bermúdez & R. Moreno. 1999. Primer registro del zorro cangrejero Cerdocyon thous (Carnivora: Canidae), para Panamá. Scientia 14: 103-107</ref>

Its habitat also includes wooded riverbanks such as [[Biology:Riparian forest|riparian forest]]. In the rainy season, their range moves uphill, whilst in drier times they move to lower ground.<ref name="Nowak2005" /> Their habitat covers all environments except rainforests, high mountains, and open grassy savannas. In some regions of their range, they are threatened with extirpation.

==Behaviour and ecology==
The crab-eating fox creates [[Social:Monogamy|monogamic]] teams for hunting; groups of several monogamic pairs may form during the reproductive season. Population density estimates vary between one individual per 4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> in Venezuela to 0.0003&nbsp;individuals/km<sup>2</sup> in Argentinian wetlands.<ref name="Berta1982" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Crab-eating fox {{!}} Canids |url=https://www.canids.org/species/view/PREKFY360401 |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=www.canids.org}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Faria-Corrêa |first1=Mariana |last2=Balbueno |first2=Rodrigo A. |last3=Vieira |first3=Emerson M. |last4=de Freitas |first4=Thales R. O. |date=2009-05-01 |title=Activity, habitat use, density, and reproductive biology of the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) and comparison with the pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) in a Restinga area in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2008.12.005 |journal=Mammalian Biology |language=en |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=220–229 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2008.12.005 |issn=1618-1476}}</ref> [[Biology:Territory (animal)|Territorialism]] was noticed during the dry season; during rainy seasons, when there is more food, they pay less attention to territory.<ref name="Nowak2005">Nowak, Ronald M. (2005). ''Walker's Carnivores of the World''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. {{ISBN|0-8018-8032-7}}</ref> Hideouts and dens often are found in bushes and in thick grass, and there are typically multiple entrance holes per den. Despite being capable of tunneling, they prefer to take over other animals' burrows. Several characteristic sounds are made by the crab-eating fox such as barking, whirring and howling, which occur often when pairs lose contact with one another.

The crab eating fox is nocturnal, with peaks of activity in the middle of the night and the early morning.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Monteiro-Alves |first1=Priscila Stéfani |last2=Helmer |first2=Débora Molino |last3=Ferreguetti |first3=Atilla Colombo |last4=Pereira-Ribeiro |first4=Juliane |last5=Rocha |first5=Carlos Frederico Duarte |last6=Bergallo |first6=Helena Godoy |date=2019-06-27 |title=Occupancy, detectability, and density of crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) in two protected areas of restinga habitats in Brazil |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjz-2018-0322 |journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |volume=97 |issue=10 |pages=952–959 |language=en |doi=10.1139/cjz-2018-0322|s2cid=198245440 }}</ref>

=== Reproduction ===
[[File:Cerdocyon thous, Colombia.JPG|thumb|A juvenile crab-eating fox in captivity]]
The foxes reach sexual maturity within 9–10 months year. Adult females gives birth to one or two litters per year, depending on the climate and the availability of food.<ref name=":1" /> The reproductive period most often begins in November or December, and again in July. The birth of offspring follows after an approximately 56-day gestation,<ref>Brady, Charles A. "[https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/9795/01403856-7445-4442-99f2-8e6960c87b7a.pdf Reproduction, growth and parental care in crab-eating foxes Cerdocyon thous at the National Zoological Park, Washington]." International zoo yearbook (1978).</ref> typically in January, February or sometimes March,<ref name=Nowak2005 /> then again from September to October. If giving birth to one litter, they typically give birth in the early spring. The breeding pair is monogamous and raises the pups together, which are weaned at around three months old and become independent of their parents around 5–8 months old.<ref name=":1" />

=== Diet ===
The crab-eating fox searches for crabs on muddy [[Earth:Floodplain|floodplain]]s during the wet season, giving this animal its common name. It is an opportunist and an omnivore, preferring insects or meat from rodents and birds when available. Other foods readily consumed include [[Biology:Crustacean|other crustaceans]], tortoises, turtle eggs, bird eggs, insects, lizards, fruit, and [[Earth:Carrion|carrion]]. Their diet is varied and has been found to differ by different researchers, suggesting opportunistic feeding and geographical variation. During the wet season, the diet contains more crustaceans, while during the [[Earth:Dry season|dry season]] it contains more insects.<ref name=Berta1982 /> The crab-eating fox contributes to the control of [[Biology:Rodent|rodent]]s and harmful insects.

==Conservation==
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ([[Biology:CITES|CITES]]) lists the fox as not threatened by extinction.<ref name=CITES>Hutton, Jon, and Barnabas Dickson, eds. Endangered species, threatened convention: the past, present and future of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. London: Earthscan, 2000.</ref> The IUCN lists the crab-eating fox as being of "Least Concern".<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> There are no precise estimates of the population size, but it is common within its range and the population is stable.<ref name=":2" />

It is considered a threat to livestock by farmers, which leads to illegal hunting in some countries. The primary threat to the fox is disease from unvaccinated dogs.<ref name=":0" />

==Subspecies==
The crab-eating fox has five recognized [[Biology:Subspecies|subspecies]],<ref name=msw3/> differing in sizes and coloring of fur.<ref name=Bisbal1988>BISBAL, Francisco J. "A taxonomic study of the crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous, in Venezuela." Mammalia 52.2 (1988): 181-186.</ref>
* ''C. t. thous'', Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana North Brazil.
* ''C. t. azarae'', North {{wipe|Brazil}}.
* ''C. t. entrerianus'', {{wipe|Brazil}}, Bolivia.Uruguay, Paraguay and {{wipe|Argentina}}.
* ''C. t. aquilus'', north Venezuela and Colombia.
* ''C. t. germanus'', [[Place:Bogotá|Bogotá]] region (Colombia).

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080210042419/http://www.canids.org/species/Cerdocyon_thous.htm Detailed Cerdocyon thous PDF article] at the [http://www.canids.org Canid Specialist Group] (CSG) site (2004).
*[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cerdocyon_thous.html Animal Diversity Web: Cerdocyon thous-Information]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080310132005/http://www.animais.villenet.com.br/animais/especie_cerdocyon_thous.htm Leão, Tigre & Cia. — Raposa Caranguejeira — Cerdocyon thous]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q321376}}

[[Category:Cerdocyonina]]

{{Sourceattribution|Crab-eating fox}}