South American fox South American fox The South American foxes ("Lycalopex"), commonly called "raposa" in Portuguese, or "zorro" in Spanish, are a genus of the family Canidae from South America. Despite their name, they are not true foxes, but are a unique canid genus related to wolves and jackals, which some somewhat resemble foxes due to convergent evolution. The South American gray fox, "Lycalopex griseus", is the most common species, and is known for its large ears and a highly marketable, russet-fringed pelt. The oldest known fossils belonging to the genus were discovered in Chile, and date from 2.0 to 2.5 million years
Red fox "päkā" 'tail; chowrie', and Lithuanian "paustìs" 'fur'. The bushy tail also forms the basis for the fox's Welsh name, "llwynog", literally 'bushy', from "llwyn" 'bush'. Likewise, from "rabo" 'tail', Lithuanian "uodẽgis" from "uodegà" 'tail', and Ojibwa "waagosh" from "waa", which refers to the up and down "bounce" or flickering of an animal or its tail. The scientific term "vulpes" derives from the Latin word for fox, and gives the adjectives "vulpine" and "vulpecular". The red fox is considered a more specialised form of "Vulpes" than the Afghan, corsac and Bengal foxes in the direction of size and adaptation to carnivory;