Pampas Fox

Pampas Fox

Lycalopex gymnocercus

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Mendoza

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

8 Verified sightings at Mendoza
319 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Pampas Fox

The Pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), also known as the grey pampean fox, Pampas zorro, Azara's fox, or Azara's zorro (in Guaraní also called aguará chaí, anglicized as aguarachay, in Portuguese also called graxaim ([ɡɾaʃaˈĩ]), is a medium-sized zorro, or "false" fox, native to the South American Pampas. Azara in some of its alternative common names is a reference to Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara.

The Pampas fox resembles the culpeo or Andean fox in appearance and size, but has a proportionately wider snout, reddish fur on the head and neck, and a black mark on the muzzle. Its short, dense fur is grey over most of the body, with a black line running down the back and onto the tail, and pale, almost white, underparts. The ears are triangular, broad, and relatively large, and are reddish on the outer surface and white on the inner surface. The inner surfaces of the legs are similar in color to the underparts, while the outer surface is reddish on the fore limbs, and grey on the hind limbs; the lower hind limb also bears a distinctive black spot. Adults range from 51 to 80 cm (20 to 31 in) in body length, and weigh 2.4 to 8.0 kg (5.3 to 17.6 lb); males are about... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call0:21

Brazil · 2024

© Douglas Meyer · XC983454 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:16

Brazil · 2024

© Gabriel Broering Rohden · XC961215 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:47

Uruguay · 2024

Gabriel Laufer · iNaturalist · CC0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
~90%
2 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~50%
3 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~50%
4 Torres del Paine National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
~40%
5 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
6 Tierra del Fuego National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mendoza 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
2 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
3 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Bioparque "Washington Rodriguez Piquinela" 🇺🇾 Uruguay In captivity
2 Parque Ecológico de São Carlos 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
3 Reserva de Fauna y Flora Pan de Azúcar 🇺🇾 Uruguay In captivity
4 Granja los Pibes 🇦🇷 Argentina In captivity
5 Zoologico Mundo Andino - Tipon 🇵🇪 Peru In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pampas Fox in Mendoza?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pampas Fox sighting in Mendoza on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pampas Fox in Mendoza?

April

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Pampas Fox in Mendoza on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, June–July and September–November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Pampas Fox?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pampas Fox sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Mendoza the best place to see a Pampas Fox?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Pampas Fox sightings, Mendoza has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Cordoba (Argentina, about 20%) and Buenos Aires (Argentina, under 5%).

Where does the Pampas Fox sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pampas Fox is recorded against all the mammals logged in Mendoza (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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