Geographic Range
Culpeos (
Lycalopex culpaeus
) are found in South America from Ecuador to southern Chile and Argentina. They are
found throughout the Andes and the Patagonian steppe of Argentina. They may also occur
in the Narino Province of southern Colombia, but this is still uncertain.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
Culpeos are generalists when it comes to habitat selection. They can be found in the
high-altitude foothills of the Andes and in the valleys surrounding them. Culpeos
have been reported from 0 to 4500 m above sea level. Their habitat ranges from the
forests of western and southern South America to the desert of the Patagonia region.
Scrub and grassland are also occupied by culpeos.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- desert or dune
- savanna or grassland
- chaparral
- forest
- rainforest
- scrub forest
- mountains
Physical Description
Lycalopex culpaeus
is the largest member of the genus
Lycalopex
. Body weight ranges from 3.4 to 14 kg, with larger individuals occurring at higher
latitudes, and males larger and heavier on average than females (11.65 kg compared
to 7.82 kg, respectively). Head plus body length ranges from 445 to 925 mm and tail
length from 305 to 493 mm. Culpeos vary in color, with lighter individuals in the
northern parts of the range. The chin and belly are white to light tawny. The ears,
neck, legs, flanks, and top of the head are tawny or reddish-brown. The area around
the tail is usually darker, sometimes dark grey. The tail is bushy and grey with a
black tip and a darker area near the rump. In the winter months, the fur becomes longer
and denser. Larger size and reddish-brown fur distinguish culpeos from similar species.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
Reproduction
Not much is known about the mating system of
Lycalopex culpaeus
. Closely related Argentine gray foxes,
Lycalopex griseus
, are monogamous, with the mated pair defending an exclusive territory. A second female
may assist in taking care of young. Another member of this genus,
Lycalopex fulvipes
, also appears to be monogamous.
Lycalopex culpaeus
females go into heat (estrus) from early August to October and are monestrous. Males
produce sperm from June to mid-October. Gestation lasts for 55 to 60 days and the
average litter size is 5.2. Newborns weigh 170 g on average and are born with their
eyes closed. Weaning occurs at two months and young grow to full size within seven
months. Sexual maturity occurs after one year.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
Not much is known about parental care in
Lycalopex culpaeus
. The species is generally solitary, but it has been reported that both parents might
play a role in the care of offspring. As in other mammals, females nurse and care
for the young extensively after gestation.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
- male parental care
- female parental care
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Not much is known about the lifespan of culpeos. The oldest culpeo discovered in the
wild was estimated to be 11 years old. However, the method of aging was not defined,
so the accuracy of this estimate is unknown.
Behavior
Lycalopex culpaeus
is a solitary species outside of the breeding season, when mated pairs and their
young associate. Culpeos in Patagonia have been seen moving about 7 km and culpeos
in the deserts of northern Chile have been recorded moving 21 km Activity patterns
vary geographically; culpeos appear to be nocturnal in Argentina, highland Peru, the
Chilean desert and Magallanes, but in central Chile they are diurnal or crepuscular.
Culpeos are cursorial and terrestrial. From summer to autumn they are at their highest
activity level.
Home Range
Culpeos occupy home ranges with little or no overlap. Home range size is extremely
variable. Chilean culpeos in a semi-arid region had an average home range size of
3.7 km2, while desert dwelling culpeos in highland salt flats and lakes had home ranges
of up to 800 km2. In north central Chile, the home range of female culpeos averaged
8.9 km2, 2.5 times the size of the average male home range. In southern Chile, the
average annual home range was 9.8 km2, with no significant difference between sexes.
Home range size appears to depend on habitat and prey availability.
Communication and Perception
Lycalopex culpaeus
communication in the wild has not been described. In captivity, culpeos make a mixed
growl and scream noise. Like other
canids
, they are likely to use a broad suite of physical cues, scents, postures, and sounds
to communicate.
- Other Communication Modes
- scent marks
Food Habits
Culpeos are omnivores and dietary generalists. Prey range from wild ungulates, hares,
sheep, and small mammals to insects, birds, and lizards. Culpeos also eat carrion
and fruit. Specific examples of items in a culpeo’s diet are
Octodon degus
,
Oryctolagus cuniculus
, and carrion of
llamas
and
vicugnas
.
- Animal Foods
- birds
- mammals
- reptiles
- carrion
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
- Plant Foods
- fruit
Predation
Culpeos do not have any complex anti-predator adaptations, because they have few natural
enemies. Pumas (
Puma concolor
) may prey on them occasionally, but this is not an important cause of mortality.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Culpeos serve important ecological roles. As predators on many different species,
culpeos play a role in population control, and as prey and host, they provide energy
to higher trophic levels. Also, culpeos eat fruit and are important in seed dispersal.
The seeds of peumo (
Cryptocarya alba
) and Peruvian pepper (
Schinus molle
) have been recorded to germinate at higher rates if defecated by culpeos. Additionally,
culpeos assist in biodegradation, by eating the carrion of other species.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
- biodegradation
- fleas ( Pulex irritans )
- biting lice ( Trichodectes canis )
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Culpeos have long been hunted and trapped for their fur, providing an important source
of income to inhabitants of Chile and Argentina. Also, culpeos eat carrion, which
provides an important service to the ecosystem that could be seen as a benefit to
humans.
- Positive Impacts
- body parts are source of valuable material
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Culpeos occasionally feed on livestock, such as sheep and chickens, and are said to
be a major cause of sheep predation in Patagonia.
Conservation Status
Lycalopex culpaeus
appears to be able to withstand human hunting pressure and is maintaining a stable
population.
Other Comments
Lycalopex culpaeus
were previously known as
Pseudalopex culpaeus
.
Additional Links
Contributors
Lisa Peterson (author), Michigan State University, Barbara Lundrigan (editor), Michigan State University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- desert or dunes
-
in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- chaparral
-
Found in coastal areas between 30 and 40 degrees latitude, in areas with a Mediterranean climate. Vegetation is dominated by stands of dense, spiny shrubs with tough (hard or waxy) evergreen leaves. May be maintained by periodic fire. In South America it includes the scrub ecotone between forest and paramo.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- rainforest
-
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
- scrub forest
-
scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.
- mountains
-
This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- male parental care
-
parental care is carried out by males
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- crepuscular
-
active at dawn and dusk
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- solitary
-
lives alone
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- scent marks
-
communicates by producing scents from special gland(s) and placing them on a surface whether others can smell or taste them
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- carrion
-
flesh of dead animals.
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- biodegradation
-
helps break down and decompose dead plants and/or animals
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
References
Jimenez, J. 2006. Ecology of a coastal population of the critically endangered Darwin's fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes) on Chiloé Island, southern Chile. Journal of Zoology , 271: 63-77.
Jimenez, J., A. Novaro. 2004. Culpeo. Pp. 44-49 in Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals, and Dogs. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan . Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: World Conservation Union.
Novaro, A., C. Moraga, C. Briceno, M. Funes, A. Marino. 2009. First records of culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus) attacks and cooperative defense by guanacos (Lama guanicoe). Mammalia , 73: 148-150.
Novaro, A. 1997. Pseudalopex culpaeus. Mammalian Species , 558: 1-8.
Nowak, R. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition . Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Salvatori, V., G. Vaglio-Laurin, P. Meserve, L. Boitani, A. Campanella. 1999. Spatial organization, activity, and social interactions of culpeo foxes (Pseudalopex culpaeus) in north-central Chile. Journal of Mammalogy , 80: 980-985.
Travaini, A., R. Peck, S. Zapata. 2001. Selection of odor attractants and meat delivery methods to control Culpeo foxes (Pseudalopex culpaeus) in Patagonia. Wildlife Society Bulletin , 29: 1089-1096.
Walker, R., A. Novaro, P. Perovic, R. Palacios, E. Donadio, M. Lucherini, M. Pia, M. Lopez. 2007. Diets of three species of Andean carnivores in high-altitude deserts of Argentina. Journal of Mammalogy , 88: 519-525.