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Blog 7: Adaptation

 One of the cutest creatures in the animal kingdom is the fennec fox, no argument. It's those enormous ears on a little face and body that make it so precious. You might wonder, why does it have such big ears? How/why could they have evolved? The fennec fox's ears are an incredible adaptation for their environment and lifestyle.


Fennec foxes are native to the deserts of Northern Africa, such as the Sahara, the hottest desert in the world. Their habitat is incredibly dry, sandy, and hot. So, not the easiest place to live. One way these foxes can survive the extreme heat is because of their ears. The large surface area of the ears helps to dissipate heat and keep the fox cool. Their ears also give fennec foxes incredible hearing that allows them to locate prey hiding in the sand. Pretty neat!

You could test if large ears are adaptive by first determining if they are a heritable trait and second if foxes with large ears have a fitness advantage over those without.

Sources:

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/fennec-fox

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