
Despite its disproportionately huge ears, there is nothing monstrous about the fennec (Vulpes zerda). It feeds on small mammals, lizards, birds, eggs, insects and plants and only becomes troublesome when another fennec tries to steal its hard-won meal. Furious scraps break out with screaming, hip slamming and pushing. The fennec's enormous ears help pick up the sound of insects crawling over the sand but they are also thought to help disperse body heat. This nocturnal fox shelters in a burrow that may be linked to others in a complex tunnel system occupied by many individuals. It is not endangered although it is trapped for fur and sold as a pet.