Corsac: fox of the Great Steppe (9 photos)

It would seem that if you were born a predator, then life would automatically be a success. You are fast, strong and can always stand up for yourself thanks to sharp fangs and powerful claws. But most meat-eaters live no better than their prey. Let's take the corsac dog, for example.





Here it is, the storm of the steppe hamsters.

This is a fox that lives in the steppes and semi-deserts of Eurasia. It is slightly smaller than the common fox, but still the size of a large cat, that is, much larger than ferrets, weasels and other stoats. But even under such conditions, the number of corsacs can drop by 3 times in just one winter!



How many?! Author, tell me you're lying!

Like chanterelles from the middle zone, corsacs are specialists in hunting small animals. The basis of their diet is rodents, but animals happily eat small snakes, lizards and frogs, and feast on birds and their eggs. Only in winter the birds fly south, and the cold-blooded ones hide as if they, too, hastily grew wings to evaporate. Therefore, the food supply of steppe chanterelles is sharply declining.





Should I sing a song about food?

And if the winter turns out to be snowy, it’s a big deal. A thick layer of snow muffles the stomping of mice and makes mouseing difficult. Corsacs are not helped by their excellent hearing and sense of smell, nor by their huge feeding areas - up to 40 square kilometers! During a hunger strike, foxes leave their homes and go looking for food in other territories. This is how a typical resident of the hilly steppes ends up in forests and even cities.



Young man, won’t you have a kolobok?

And they face even greater problems. In its territory, the fox knows every animal trail and has developed a system of shelters - abandoned holes of badgers and gophers, which the foxes modify to suit their needs. Each of them, although shallow, has 3-4 exits at once - it is impossible to block the fox.



Hehehe, don't get me into a trap!

In addition, corsacs live in family groups consisting of a father, mother and 3-6 young children. Although animals do not demonstrate developed social behavior, they are able to organize coordinated defense or warn each other about dangers.



Dual surveillance system. No one will sneak up unnoticed!

And if the fox decides to leave his home, then he finds himself in uncharted lands, which almost certainly have their own owners. Due to the fact that the small predator does not know where to hide, he risks being caught by wolves and golden eagles. The animals will eat him for his soul: they also have a hard time in winter. And all this is superimposed on wild food competition. Corsacs have to fight for prey not only with each other, but also with common foxes, steppe cats and weasels.



- Give up all your mice! - I don’t have anything, I haven’t eaten for 2 days!

So it turns out that the mortality rate of corsacs in some years is simply colossal. For example, in 1991, the number of Dagestan corsacs decreased by more than 4 times in one winter: from 800 to 150 faces. True, she recovered in just 3 years.



Give the foxes something to eat!

To compensate for the rampant mortality rate, small predators have to actively reproduce. In January, single foxes mate with each other for brides, after which they quickly build family nests. In March-April, the female gives birth to 3-6 puppies. And if the summer is rich in food, almost all of them will survive until autumn. The population will double in just a year!



If the year turns out to be poor in game, then the fox cubs will face not only the problem of hunger. Eagles and kites actively hunt young animals if they have no alternative.