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32-448: The Fennek , named after the fennec (a species of small desert fox ), or LGS Fennek , with LGS being short for Leichter Gepanzerter Spähwagen in German (Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle ), is a four-wheeled armed reconnaissance vehicle produced by the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Dutch Defence Vehicle Systems. The Turkish company FNSS Defence Systems acquired

64-535: A 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) long tail and 10 cm (3.9 in) long ears, weighing at least 1.3 kg (2.9 lb). The fennec fox is distributed throughout the Sahara, from Morocco and Mauritania to northern Sudan , through Egypt and its Sinai Peninsula . It inhabits small sand dunes and vast treeless sand areas with sparse vegetation such as grasses, sedges and small shrubs. Fennec foxes are primarily nocturnal, displaying heightened activity during

96-454: A life span of up to 14 years in captivity and about 10 years in the wild. Its main predators are the Verreaux's eagle-owl , jackals and other large mammals. Fennec families dig out burrows in the sand for habitation and protection, which can be as large as 120 m (1,300 sq ft) and adjoin the burrows of other families. Precise population figures are not known but are estimated from

128-460: A single chamber. Captive individuals reside in family groups consisting of several members. Fennec foxes exhibit playful behavior, especially among younger individuals. The fennec fox is omnivorous, feeding on small rodents , lizards ( geckos and skinks ), small birds and their eggs, insects, fruits, leaves , roots and also some tubers . It relies on the moisture content of prey, but drinks water when available. It hunts alone and digs in

160-554: Is a small crepuscular fox native to the deserts of North Africa, ranging from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula . Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat and listen for underground prey. The fennec is the smallest fox species. Its coat, ears, and kidney functions have adapted to the desert environment with high temperatures and little water. It mainly eats insects , small mammals and birds . The fennec has

192-576: Is normally active during the day, but on islands like Santa Cruz that are home to the Galapagos hawk , the owl is crepuscular. Apart from the relevance to predation, crepuscular activity in hot regions also may be the most effective way of avoiding heat stress while capitalizing on available light. Crepuscular flight activity is preferred by some animals, such as the walnut twig beetle , due to warmer temperatures, moderate wind speeds, and low barometric pressure. Crepuscular activity can be influenced by

224-773: The German Army will be procured from 2015 on. Germany plans an overall purchase of approximately 300 Fenneks. The first vehicle was delivered to the Netherlands in July 2003 and the first to Germany in December of the same year. Deliveries will continue until 2011 (additional orders for the German Army are planned from 2015 on). The Dutch SP Aerospace company, which produced the Fennek for the Dutch military,

256-509: The Latin crepusculum ("twilight"). Its sense accordingly differs from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, which respectively peak during hours of daytime and night. The distinction is not absolute, because crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright moonlit night or on a dull day. Some animals casually described as nocturnal are in fact crepuscular. Special classes of crepuscular behaviour include matutinal, or "matinal", animals active only in

288-426: The copulation tie lasts up to two hours and 45 minutes. Gestation usually lasts between 50 and 52 days, though sometimes up to 63 days. After mating, the male becomes very aggressive and protects the female, and provides her with food during pregnancy and lactation . Females give birth between March and June to a litter of one to four pups that open their eyes after 8 to 11 days. Both female and male care for

320-401: The lunar cycle due to the change in nocturnal light. This creates changes in animal sleep , reproduction , and foraging behaviours, often becoming less active during periods of low light. Animal patterns of activity sometimes change during migration due to changes in environmental conditions. Mule deer are crepuscular, but they are only active at dusk before and during migration. In

352-614: The spring they are only active at dawn because the snow is at its hardest , so it is easier for the deer to move without sinking in the snow. During migration, some types of swallow are active primarily during daytime hours with some activity during twilight hours. Crepuscular animal activity is affected by human activity , because humans are diurnal. Crepuscular animals are less likely to participate in typical foraging or reproductive behaviors and deal with increased stress and mortality rates when humans are present. Animals may change their usual activity patterns in response to

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384-681: The Dutch MRAT version or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher ( HK GMG ) or Rheinmetall MG3 for the German vehicles. The Royal Netherlands Army also placed an order at the Turkish company ASELSAN for 18 Raytheon Stinger surface-to-air missile launchers to be fitted on the Fennek. The launcher in this case is the Stinger Weapon Platform (SWP), with four Stinger missiles intended for mid-range air defence. The launcher can be controlled from on board

416-506: The Fennek in the Royal Netherlands Army : JFST (Joint Fire Support Team, some with and without IED added protection) Both Germany and the Netherlands have deployed Fennek reconnaissance vehicles to Afghanistan in support of ISAF . On 3 November 2007, a Dutch Fennek was hit by an improvised explosive device killing one and wounding two other occupants. The vehicle and its crew were taking part in an offensive operation targeting

448-524: The Taliban in the province of Uruzgan, Afghanistan. In another incident a German Fennek was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Its hollow charge jet penetrated the vehicle through the right front wheel rim, passed through the vehicle and blew the left door off the hinge. Thanks to the spall liner the crew sustained only negligible injuries. "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle" with rear engine: Others: Fennec Fox The fennec fox ( Vulpes zerda )

480-713: The United States to avoid any problems associated with inbreeding. The fennec fox is the national animal of Algeria . It also serves as the nickname for the Algeria national football team "Les Fennecs". Crepuscular animal A number of factors affect the time of day an animal is active. Predators hunt when their prey is available, and prey try to avoid the times when their principal predators are at large. The temperature may be too high at midday or too low at night. Some creatures may adjust their activities depending on local competition. The word crepuscular derives from

512-640: The causes. African horned owl species such as the Pharaoh eagle-owl prey on fennec fox pups. Anecdotal reports exist about caracals , jackals , and striped hyenas also preying on the fennec fox. But according to nomads, the fennec fox is fast and changes directions so well that even their Salukis are hardly ever able to capture it. In North Africa, the fennec fox is commonly trapped for exhibition or sale to tourists. Expansion of permanent human settlements in southern Morocco caused its disappearance in these areas and restricted it to marginal areas. As of 2015,

544-522: The cooler nighttime hours. This behaviour helps them escape the extreme Saharan heat and reduces water loss through panting. A fennec fox digs its den in sand, either in open areas or places sheltered by plants with stable sand dunes . In compacted soils, dens are up to 120 m (1,300 sq ft) large, with up to 15 different entrances. In some cases, different families interconnect their dens, or locate them close together. In soft, looser sand, dens tend to be simpler with only one entrance leading to

576-471: The crepuscular populations, and offer better foraging opportunities to predators that increasingly focus their attention on crepuscular prey until a new balance is struck. Such shifting states of balance are often found in ecology. Some predatory species adjust their habits in response to competition from other predators. For example, the subspecies of short-eared owl that lives on the Galápagos Islands

608-449: The dawn, and vespertine, only in the dusk. Those active during both times are said to have a bimodal activity pattern. The various patterns of activity are thought to be mainly antipredator adaptations , though some could equally well be predatory adaptations . Many predators forage most intensively at night, whereas others are active at midday and see best in full sun. The crepuscular habit may both reduce predation pressure, increasing

640-460: The day and helps keep it warm at night. Its nose is black and its tapering tail has a black tip. Its long ears have longitudinal reddish stripes on the back and are so densely haired inside that the external auditory meatus is not visible. The edges of the ears are whitish, but darker on the back. The ear to body ratio is the greatest in the canid family and likely helps in dissipating heat and locating vertebrates . It has dark streaks running from

672-434: The driver from inside the vehicle to suit terrain conditions. The primary mission equipment is an observation package mounted on an extendable mast. Sensors include a thermal imager , daylight camera and a laser rangefinder . Combined with the vehicle's GPS and inertial navigation system the operator can accurately mark targets or points of interest and pass that data to the digital battlefield network. The sensor head of

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704-564: The endangered Amazon river dolphin , some species of bats , hamsters , housecats , stray dogs , rabbits , ferrets , rats , jaguars , ocelots , bobcats , servals , strepsirrhines , red pandas , bears , deer , moose , sitatunga , capybaras , chinchillas , the common mouse , skunks , squirrels , foxes , wombats , wallabies , quolls , possums and marsupial gliders , tenrecs , and spotted hyenas . Snakes , lizards , and frogs , especially those in desert environments, may be crepuscular. Crepuscular birds include

736-612: The fennec fox is classified as Least concern on the IUCN Red List . It is listed in CITES Appendix II and is protected in Morocco and Western Sahara, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, where it has been documented in several protected areas. The fennec fox is bred commercially as an exotic pet . Commercial breeders remove the pups from their mother to hand-raise them, as tame foxes are more valuable. A breeders' registry has been set up in

768-466: The frequency of sightings; these indicate that the fennec is currently not threatened by extinction. Knowledge of social interactions is limited to information gathered from captive animals. The fennec's fur is prized by the indigenous peoples of North Africa, and it is considered an exotic pet in some parts of the world. Its name comes from the species' Arabic name: fanak ( فَنَك ). The fennec fox has sand-colored fur which reflects sunlight during

800-638: The inner eye to either side of the slender muzzle. Its large eyes are dark. The dental formula is 3.1.4.2 3.1.4.3  × 2 = 42 with small and narrow canines . The pads of its paws are covered with dense fur, which facilitates walking on hot, sandy soil. The fennec fox is the smallest canid species. Females range in head-to-body size from 34.5 to 39.5 cm (13.6 to 15.6 in) with a 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) long tail and 9–9.5 cm (3.5–3.7 in) long ears, and weigh 1–1.9 kg (2.2–4.2 lb). Males are slightly larger, ranging in head-to-body size from 39 to 39.5 cm (15.4 to 15.6 in) with

832-417: The observation package can also be removed and mounted on a tripod for concealed operation, as can the control unit from the vehicle should the crew want to use the entire system dismounted. Many Fenneks of the German Army are also equipped with Aladin miniature UAVs. Various weapons can be fitted, such as a 12.7 mm machine gun for the Dutch reconnaissance version, a Rafael Spike anti-tank missile on

864-414: The presence of humans. For example, Asian black bears may avoid areas with high human activity during the day, but go to these locations during twilight or nighttime hours. Light pollution impacts crepuscular behaviour because it mimics natural light conditions, leading crepuscular animals to behave as they would on nights with more moonlight. Many familiar mammal species are crepuscular, including

896-653: The pups. They communicate by barking, purring, yapping and squeaking. Pups remain in the family even after a new litter is born. The pups are weaned at the age of 61 to 70 days. Adults rear pups until they are around 16 to 17 weeks old. The oldest captive male fennec fox was 14 years old, and the oldest female 13 years. Captive fennec foxes are susceptible to canine distemper virus , displaying fever, mucopurulent ocular discharge, diarrhea , severe emaciation , seizures, generalized ataxia , severe dehydration , brain congestion, gastric ulcers and death. Stress because of capture and long-distance transportation are thought to be

928-582: The right for licence production in 2004. It was developed for both the German Army and Royal Netherlands Army to replace their current vehicles. In April 2000, the prototype vehicle finished field trials and in December 2001 a combined order was placed. The Royal Netherlands Army ordered 410 (202 reconnaissance, 130 MRAT (medium range antitank) and 78 general purpose versions) and the German Bundeswehr ordered 222 (178 reconnaissance, 24 combat engineer and 20 joint fire support teams (JFST)). More Fenneks for

960-675: The sand for small vertebrates and insects . Some individuals were observed to bury prey for later consumption and searching for food in the vicinity of human settlements. In the Algerian Sahara, 114 scat samples were collected that contained more than 400 insects, plant fragments and date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera ) fruits, remains of birds, mammals, squamata and insects. Fennec foxes mate for life. Captive fennec foxes reach sexual maturity at around nine months and mate between January and April. Female fennec foxes are in estrus for an average of 24 hours and usually breed once per year;

992-507: The vehicle, or else remotely as part of a distributed air defense system. On the Dutch Fennek the primary weapon is the 12.7 mm machine gun. The vehicle is protected all-round against 7.62 mm rounds and additional armour can be added if the mission requires. The air conditioning system provides protection against nuclear, biological and chemical warfare and the crew compartment is protected against anti-personnel mines. Variants of

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1024-534: Was declared bankrupt in August 2004. A new company called Dutch Defence Vehicle Systems (DDVS) was created to continue the production of the vehicles for the Royal Netherlands Army. The Fennek has four wheels with selectable two or four wheel drive. It has a Deutz diesel engine producing 179 kW, giving it a top speed of 115 km/h (when the speedlimiter is turned off). Tire pressure can be regulated by

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